UM publisher grapples with continued slow sales

New products planned,
changes to come in ways
Disciple series is offered

United Methodist News Service
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The United Methodist Publishing House continues to grapple with sales below budget projections, the board of directors heard March 28-30.
But executives are “not going to sit back and watch the drift,” pledged Neil Alexander, president and publisher.
Alexander told directors to “get on the edge of your seats; we are going somewhere.”
Among the changes: new products, researching new markets and revisions to the popular Disciple Bible study series.
The Publishing House, like many other Christian booksellers, is facing tougher competition while adjusting to changing worship styles, said Larry Wallace, senior vice president of finance and operations.
The second-quarter financial report shows a sales shortfall of $1.7 million, about 2 percent behind figures for the same quarter in 2004. However, Wallace said the budget is on track for the rest of the fiscal year ending July 31 because of cost savings.
“We have wonderful stories to tell of customer service where attention to detail exceeded expectations,” Alexander said. “We also have challenging stories when the product did not fit the need and advertising failed to break through the noise.”
Directors reviewed initiatives designed to boost sales and reach new customers for Cokesbury products. Cokesbury is the Publishing House’s retail sales arm.
The board approved $2 million to develop and market an interactive DVD curriculum for children’s Sunday school classes for use in fall 2006.
The curriculum is “high tech and multisensory,” said Marj Pon, director of children’s resources. The high-energy videos will feature teen role models and provide “built-in assistants/experts” for Sunday school teachers.
“We want children to ask to go to Sunday school, to drag their parents out of bed to take them to church,” she said.
“We are not trying to produce the next dated children’s materials,” Alexander said. “We want to invigorate the Sunday school movement and help the church grow.”
The $2 million investment is to go toward hiring additional staff and paying for capital expenditures, additional research, advertising and sales efforts over the next 12 months.
The Disciple Bible study series, a product for local churches to offer in-depth study of scripture, is $568,000 below projected sales for the first six months of the fiscal year. Changes to address the shortfall are to be implemented in May, said Harriett Olson, senior vice president of publishing.
“Disciple has been a fixture for the last 18 years, but we want to extend our reach,” Olson said. “We want to keep the resource fresh and vibrant, and we are listening to evaluations we receive from users.”
Among the changes, new eight-week sessions will be offered, and new videos are being produced for Disciple 1. Training seminars for facilitators are being shortened and will become optional for churches offering the Bible study, though still highly recommended.
Ordering procedures are being simplified, and Disciple copies are to be available in Cokesbury retail stores.
The Publishing House is the official publisher of the United Methodist Church. It is self-supporting and is the denomination’s oldest and largest general agency.