Publishers Weekly Sums Up the Bible Market: “Not Your Mother’s Bible”

Publishers Weekly recently ran an article summarizing the U.S. Bible market.

Of note:

  • Annual Bible sales total between $425 million and $609 million.
  • Zondervan and Thomas Nelson together account for 86% of the market.
  • Bible readership is on the rise.
  • Cost is increasing for many of the raw materials that comprise Bibles, especially Bible paper.
  • “The black leather Bible is a thing of the past. ‘Consumers want readable, portable, fashionable and usable Bibles,’” according to Harper San Francisco.
  • Tyndale just came out with Veritas, a Bible-and-purse matched set.
  • Full-color printing on Bible paper only recently became possible.

We don’t offer comment on any point except the last. Being able to print a Bible in full-color is a major technological advance in Bible publishing. The ESV Children’s Bible takes advantage of this ability, and other ESV Bibles will do so in the future.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 15th, 2006 at 10:01 am and is filed under General. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

5 Responses to “Publishers Weekly Sums Up the Bible Market: “Not Your Mother’s Bible””

  1. The New Yorker on the Bible Market Says:
    January 18th, 2007 at 4:24 pm

    We’re not sure why a rash of articles analyzing the US Bible market has appeared recently in secular publications. Now it’s The New Yorker’s turn. As you’d expect from The New Yorker, the article is long, thorough, and well-written.

  2. The Wall Street Journal on the Bible Market Says:
    January 18th, 2007 at 4:24 pm

    Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal had an article about the US Bible market. Some highlights:. “For a long time the Bible was just the Bible,” noted Kevin O’Brien, director of Bibles at Tyndale House. “You put it out there and people

  3. Bible Publishing Is BIG Business Says:
    February 1st, 2007 at 7:37 am

    Found this post on the ESV Bible Blog about a recent article in Publishers Weekly summarizing the state of Bible publishing. Amazing to learn that annual revenues from bible publishing are estimated at approximately $425 million…

  4. Yet Another Reason to Stop Smoking Says:
    June 1st, 2007 at 7:31 am

    The Logos Bible Software Blog points to an article about how the rise of smoking in China drives up the cost of Bible paper. There are at least two good reasons to stop smoking. Number one: It may damage your health….

  5. You Don't Say Says:
    June 1st, 2007 at 7:36 am

    These thin-paper machines produce proportionally less Bible paper as they use more of their capacity for cigarette paper. Prices for Bible paper naturally rise when supply falls. Other factors affect the recent increase in Bible-paper costs (including higher prices for raw materials), but the two trillion cigarettes smoked annually by the Chinese (and the 3.5 trillion smoked elsewhere) play a part. (Source)[IMG ][IMG ]