Publishing to a Higher Power
Baker Publishing Group, although at the top of their segment of the industry, finds itself constantly competing to hold on to its valuable authors.
“The rising competition in Christian book publishing is an easily predicted outcome of our visible progression; the inspirational category has developed in recent years from a quaint bookstore sideline to a central position. Therefore, we find ourselves competing for manuscripts with the largest general-interest publishers in the business,” Baker says. “Manhattan executives do not necessary now all love Jesus; they simply recognize good business opportunities when they spot them. For example, one of the finest independent Christian houses, Multnomah Publishers, went up for sale in 2006. The most determined bidder for Multnomah assets was not within the Christian publishing community. It was Random House, the largest English-language publisher in the world,” he says.