NavPress finds growing success in shifting emphasis
NavPress finds growing success in shifting emphasis
MARK BARNA
Here’s a novel idea: Try to make it in the book-publishing world without pursuing potential best-sellers.
Sounds like a formula for failure, but NavPress of Colorado Springs is well on the way to proving it can work.
With fewer than half of U.S. adults reading for pleasure, according to a recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts, leaders in the publishing business are scrambling to figure out how to remain profitable.
That’s what makes NavPress’ evolving business plan so surprising.
Rather than focus on best-sellers and other materials that have historically generated strong financial returns, the Christian publisher has returned to its roots to align more closely with the principles of its parent organization, the evangelical nonprofit The Navigators.
“I am trying to pull us back to remember that we are distributors of spiritual messages that God has given to people through the body of Christ to share,” said Michael D. Miller, who took over as NavPress’ executive publisher a year ago.
Miller is heading up an enterprise that’s had impressive financial growth. NavPress revenue in the U.S. for 2007 was $111.75 million, up from $97.4 million in 2004, according to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
But that doesn’t mean Miller is willing to forgo growth. He said he believes that by moving further toward alternative publishing formats, such as e-books, multimedia books and audio books, NavPress will continue on its upward financial curve.
Considered a small but important Christian publisher, NavPress is part of a book publishing trend seeking nontraditional ways to publish materials.
“There is a shift among publishers as they recognize other book formats,” said Mark Kuyper, executive director of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. “I think there are tremendous opportunities to create new formats to deliver content.”
A bit of background
The Navigators was founded 75 years ago by Dawson Trotman, a lay preacher who taught the Bible to members of the U.S. Navy and teenagers. During the 1940s, the ministry expanded in the U.S. and began missionary work overseas.
In 1953, the interdenominational organization relocated from Southern California to Colorado Springs. Today, the Navigators has 4,200 employees - with about 500 in Colorado Springs - and operates missions in dozens of countries.
The organization started NavPress as its publishing arm in the early 1970s, with a focus on printing Bible study materials, Scripture memory aids and faith-based books. In those first years, its major client was Billy Graham Crusades, and the press created pamphlets for Crusades attendees.
In the late 1980s, NavPress expanded its reach to follow the traditional publishing model of evaluating manuscripts based on their potential to be best-sellers. That led to nonfiction titles such as “Parenting Teens with Love & Logic,” by Foster Cline and Jim Fay (1993), and “The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse,” by Dan B. Allender (1995).
While the blockbuster title remains a consideration, it is no longer the focus at NavPress.
“We drifted too far toward seeking best-sellers,” Miller said. “When you follow the trade model, you have to put a lot of material out to satisfy the needs of customers. We decided that is not in our best interest.”
Mixing it up
As with other publishing companies, Christian presses are grappling with the fact that people don’t read as much as they used to, and have other entertainment options such as television and the Internet.
NavPress hired Miller not only because of his leadership qualities, but because of his multimedia experience, said Lauren Libby, the Navigator’s chief executive officer.
A founder of the online site GodTube - essentially a YouTube for Christians - Miller understands the need to use multimedia and interactive elements to reach people.
In the past year, Miller instituted a Bible study series through NavPress called “Connecting with His Outrageous Love.” The book’s text is presented in easily digestible sections. Large, expressive photos are included, as are workbook sections to better engage the reader in the material. NavPress staff say the book has been a resounding success.
The press is also experimenting with e-books, which are published only online, and virtual books, which combine video, audio and images.
“We are re-examining some of the assumptions behind trade publishing,” Miller said. “We are finding new ways to do our work.”
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