Christian bookstores are still the most important sellers of religious books, because they stock backlists and take chances on new authors. But larger outlets such as Wal-Mart and Books-A-Million also have a noticeable presence on publishers' lists this year.
"The big chains are always looking for the next 'hit,' " said Warner Faith's Rolf Zettersten, who has one on his hands with pastor Joel Osteen's self-help guide, "Your Best Life Now."
The book has been at or near the top of the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover advice books since before Christmas. Warner has shipped 2.2 million copies in fewer than two months and half a million more are ready to print.
Zettersten is aiming for sales in the zone of Rick Warren's "The Purpose-Driven Life," which has sold about 25 million copies for Michigan-based Zondervan. "PDL," as the book has come to be known, is still hot two years after its release. It was Barnes & Noble's fifth best-selling book in any category last year.
"Readers are purchasing more Christian books in a significant way," said Barnes & Noble religion buyer Tim Flannigan. "There is an upward trend and has been over the last few years."
Each month, he said, titles from the religious section are featured on front-of-store tables and floor displays. And more Christian publishers are seeking to release books, novels and nonfiction that focus on values and not a religious doctrine.
Flannigan expects "PDL" will continue selling well this year, along with "Your Best Life Now" and the "Left Behind" series of apocalyptic Christian fiction, which has sold more than 42 million copies for Illinois-based Tyndale House Publishers.
Among retailers, Borders has "absolutely" seen growth in Christian book sales, especially in fiction, Bibles and broad appeal self-help books, said Jay Hyde, category manager and Christian book buyer for Borders and Waldenbooks.
"Who doesn't want 'purpose' in their life? Who doesn't want to have 'your best life?"' he said. "These are for anyone that is looking to improve their lives, not just through Christian teachings."
Until a couple of years ago, the Association of American Publishers lumped religious book sales into its "other" category. But religious publishing, while making up only about 5 percent of the consumer books sector, grew by 37 percent between 2002 and 2003, with total sales of $338 million. Figures for 2004 will be released in June.
Despite the recent popularity of self-help books, LifeWay's Broadman & Holman division isn't focusing on it. Its bread and butter remains inspirational books by Christian authors such as Beth Moore, Henry Blackaby and Adrian Rogers.
But B&H, which will publish a record 130 titles this year, not including Bibles and reference books, has found solid mass-market success with books by or about well-known public figures such as the late professional golfer Payne Stewart; Oliver North, whose "Mission Compromised" and "The Jericho Sanction" novels have made him a best-selling author; and Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who refused to move a Ten Commandments monument from a state building.
"When we came out with the first Oliver North fiction book, that may be the first time I ever saw a Broadman & Holman book on the front kiosks in mainstream stores," editor Gary Terashita said.
The Stewart biography was the first B&H book that sold more in general-market retailers than through the Christian market, he said.
Sales to the general market -- retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart and other mainstream chains -- have grown twice as fast as sales to Christian retailers, said Mike Hyatt, president of Thomas Nelson.
With 500 new titles this year, and 4,000 products being actively marketed, Nelson bridges trends with a broad portfolio, he said. But he said no one can accurately predict the next big hit.
"There's a certain mystery to publishing I'm still trying to figure out after 27 years in the business," he said.