I’m in a summer series looking at new, key learnings and the state of Christian publishing in 2024. Last week was #1: the future of publishing isn’t personalities. It’s communities.
Today, I want to talk who’s buying books.
Christian publishing typically targets three distinct audiences. They are:
Readers - Christian consumers
Leaders - Clergy and church professionals
Groups - Curriculum and church resources
(Authors, if you aren’t clear as to which one you’re targeting, then circle back and look again.)
I don’t know of any publishers who are killing it at all three. Maybe one, maybe two. The problem is that each requires distinct business strategies, and even distinct operational systems. Publishers can’t afford to set up three distinct business units.
Publishers get themselves in trouble when trying to target all three core audiences, but also when they ignore one or two. It’s a conundrum, but I have an idea about it.
But before we get to that, let’s do a brief primer on each audience.
The Three Core Audiences of Christian Publishing
Readers: Christian Consumers
Some imprints target Christian consumers through what is known as “the Trade.” Trade books are designed for general readership - “wherever books are sold.”
Think Barnes and Noble or Costco (who by the way are getting rid of their book table). Of course, Amazon ate the Trade a while back, to the point where “the Trade” is now practically synonymous with Amazon.
The goal when reaching Christian consumers is to reduce jargon and code words meant for specific audiences and give the title as broad of an appeal as possible:
No church nerd books.
Write books your family wants to read.
Accessible, 9th grade reading level.
Cool covers. Beautiful design.
Not tied to a small denomination or social location.
Some publishers, particularly smaller ones such as boutique Christian publishers, avoid the Trade altogether. I know of one Christian publisher that doesn’t even list paperback editions of their books on Amazon at all.
The problem is that every author wants to be on Amazon. Amazon equals market legitimacy. It’s why authors write in the first place! I had lunch with an aspiring author this week, a Christian and successful finance executive, who said, if I can’t sell 10,000 copies minimum, why bother?
You can’t ignore this world. In fact, you need to craft your book to speak to it.
If as a publisher you ignore this audience, you’re essentially saying to your authors, I don’t really care if you only sell 400 copies. (For more on industry numbers, click here.)
The problem is that for every Jesus Calling, you have a thousand books that have sold a few hundred copies each. It’s a gambler’s market.
Leaders: Church Professionals
I once oversaw the “church leadership” line of Abingdon Press titles at the United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH). Think books on theology or how to grow your church. “Leadership” was a new name at the time; previously it had been named professional books, which was more accurate but less sexy.
In its heyday, the Abingdon Press imprint was synonymous with church leadership books. Pastors from across a range of denominations knew and respected Abingdon titles.
Leaders are brokers and they are influencers, and a leader who is a big fan may be worth 100s or 1000s or units sold. The problem is that leaders are a much smaller target, and they are a fickle bunch. They primarily care about solving problems. The professional market is a fourth of the consumer market, at best.
The average church leader buys 11 books a year, but reads 2. Who wants to sell trophies to put on a shelf? That’s not why I got into the ministry of publishing.
Groups: Church Resources
The third audience is potentially the biggest, but also the hardest to activate. UMPH made payroll for years in this category. A good Vacation Bible School product will take care of the needs of 10,000 congregations or more.
But curriculum is a land mine of changing trends and code words in the American church - what works for one small denomination will turn off another. In an age of high trust and ecumenical thinking, you could target this well. But that’s not the age we’re in now.
One pastor I know flatly ignores anything marketed as a “curriculum” because he just assumes it is either theologically suspect or just lame. He prefers to watch what his congregation is talking about and then develop teaching material around it. See audience #1, above.
One Business Model for All Three?
Recognizing that there are three audiences is just the first step. How do you address it?
Many publishers try to create solutions for one. Maybe two. But three is really hard, because in a traditional organizational business culture, you’d have three divisions, each with their own staff and budgets, or - even worse - three decision makers all competing for one set of shared support resources. Most operations can’t scale to the point of profitability, so they end up fighting for a scarcity of available resources. Dysfunction junction, baby.
Yet you need to be able to respond to all three to maximize legitimacy, build market share, and meet the expectations of authors. So what to do?
Here’s my key learning: instead of three distinct solutions, what if we had one complete integrated strategy that addresses all three audiences?
Here’s how I see that working.
LEADERS > READERS > GROUPS
Leaders broker content to their readers who then gather in groups.
Pastors broker content to individuals in their communities, and individuals desire to gather in small groups and Bible studies to learn.
Executing this requires knowing a lot about each audience and how they interact. You’ve got to know the church well: its leaders, the people who attend, the people who don’t, and what they do when they’re together.
Takeaway: Theologically speaking, the local church is the hope of the world. It just so happens that the local church is also the best framework for thinking about a way to build a sustainable non-profit publishing ministry.
In Publishing, The Goal is Group Learning