For ICRS to focus primarily on publishers selling to bookstores (when they can do this online anytime) seems shortsighted in this digital age. But if they allow the Christian masses to attend  author signings, and get review copies or book samples (paper chapbooks), buzz would begin on new titles more quickly, and  bookstores would then have consumers to order books for! 

BookExpo this year merged with a digital book conference and book bloggers conference, and has connected with the Writers Digest conference. ICRS could do similarly, merging with a Christian bloggers conference, and all Christian Book Expo events.

Actually, we didn't sell directly to consumers. We worked with a Christian retailer. They had their registers and their staff in our booth. They took 100% of the retail sales. We sold them our product at our normal trade discounts. Nearly all of the other publishers did the same thing.

Actually, we didn't sell directly to consumers. We worked with a Christian retailer. They had their registers and their staff in our booth. They took 100% of the retail sales. We sold them our product at our normal trade discounts. Nearly all of the other publishers did the same thing.

Although the retailer got 100%… ( although 100% profits probably didn't even cover their employees parking) it still was a publisher to vendor show.

I mean no disrespect- I just care about our very fragmented industry which is tanking and making poor decisions.

Although the retailer got 100%… ( although 100% profits probably didn't even cover their employees parking) it still was a publisher to vendor show.

I mean no disrespect- I just care about our very fragmented industry which is tanking and making poor decisions.

Believe me, we are looking at every facet of this show. Nothing is sacred other than the mission.

Believe me, we are looking at every facet of this show. Nothing is sacred other than the mission.

Although I'd personally love to see this event held in Southern California, let me suggest a couple of "out of the box" ideas: Indianapolis & Tulsa. Indy has an historically strong Christian presence, i.e. people would actually turn out for this — it would draw them. Tulsa has ORU, Rhema, Victory Fellowship, Church on the Move, et al — a surprisingly large and vibrant Christian community that, again, would actually turn out.

I'm not a "small market" fan in general, but either of these venues might be a "large turnout" locale. Larger markets may be too jaded (?) or have such diverse options that any given opportunity is just 'more noise.'

Although I'd personally love to see this event held in Southern California, let me suggest a couple of "out of the box" ideas: Indianapolis & Tulsa. Indy has an historically strong Christian presence, i.e. people would actually turn out for this — it would draw them. Tulsa has ORU, Rhema, Victory Fellowship, Church on the Move, et al — a surprisingly large and vibrant Christian community that, again, would actually turn out.

I'm not a "small market" fan in general, but either of these venues might be a "large turnout" locale. Larger markets may be too jaded (?) or have such diverse options that any given opportunity is just 'more noise.'

We pulled out of ICRS because we do not believe that trade shows are a cost-effective way of connecting with retailers. Instead, we spend a ton of money each year to actually call on 95% of these accounts either face-to-face or via the phone.

Trade shows are fine for small publishers who don't have sales forces or for small retailers who don't do enough sales volume to warrant the visit of publisher reps. But this cost is shouldered by the big publishers who, frankly, don't need the added expense.

In my view, we don't need more events where we are talking to each other (i.e., TRADE shows). However, we still need an event that raises CONSUMER awareness to the incredible products that are being produced by Christian publishers.

We pulled out of ICRS because we do not believe that trade shows are a cost-effective way of connecting with retailers. Instead, we spend a ton of money each year to actually call on 95% of these accounts either face-to-face or via the phone.

Trade shows are fine for small publishers who don't have sales forces or for small retailers who don't do enough sales volume to warrant the visit of publisher reps. But this cost is shouldered by the big publishers who, frankly, don't need the added expense.

In my view, we don't need more events where we are talking to each other (i.e., TRADE shows). However, we still need an event that raises CONSUMER awareness to the incredible products that are being produced by Christian publishers.

Even as I was reading your daily posts, Michael, I still thought it was an industry trade show you were talking about. Reading through this post and the various comments that follow I still can't figure out if this was anything I might have been enticed to attend, no matter where or when it was held or what it was called, or how it was valuated by pastors.
I would have asked myself, as a potential attendee, a standard marketing question: What problem does this solve for me or value does it provide for me?
But then again, I may not have been the audience you were hoping for.

This almost sounds like it was planned as "a cool thing for the industry" that had some chance of being successful as a marketing tool in and of itself.
So again it makes me wonder..who was the intended customer?

Even as I was reading your daily posts, Michael, I still thought it was an industry trade show you were talking about. Reading through this post and the various comments that follow I still can't figure out if this was anything I might have been enticed to attend, no matter where or when it was held or what it was called, or how it was valuated by pastors.
I would have asked myself, as a potential attendee, a standard marketing question: What problem does this solve for me or value does it provide for me?
But then again, I may not have been the audience you were hoping for.

This almost sounds like it was planned as "a cool thing for the industry" that had some chance of being successful as a marketing tool in and of itself.
So again it makes me wonder..who was the intended customer?

Who would be interested in attending an event so divisive, so smug, and so contrary to American precepts of tolerance? I daresay that the wildly popular writings of Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris are having an effect as well. To say nothing of the father-son disputes at ORU and the Crystal Cathedral, church pedophile scandals, and 'faith-healing' exposés…

As long as your 'leaders' include such bullies and crackpots as James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Benny Hinn, the exposed charlatan Peter Popoff, Earl Pauk, Ted Haggard, Creflo Dollar and the rest, few and fewer decent people will be interested in your message. No wonder.

Who would be interested in attending an event so divisive, so smug, and so contrary to American precepts of tolerance? I daresay that the wildly popular writings of Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris are having an effect as well. To say nothing of the father-son disputes at ORU and the Crystal Cathedral, church pedophile scandals, and 'faith-healing' exposés…

As long as your 'leaders' include such bullies and crackpots as James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Benny Hinn, the exposed charlatan Peter Popoff, Earl Pauk, Ted Haggard, Creflo Dollar and the rest, few and fewer decent people will be interested in your message. No wonder.

I appreciate your candor in not trying to sugar-coat the results and being willing to consider some of the factors (in hindsight) that contributed to the lack of success of the event. I'm a member of one of the largest churches in the Dallas area and to my knowledge not one bit of information was ever passed on to our congregation. Did our staff know and ignore it? I doubt it. Lack of publicity was one of the major problems in my view. Was any effort made to enlist the help of the authors in the area (there are quite a few of us) in publicizing CBE? If so, it didn't reach me or most of my colleagues.

I do hope ECPA can pick themselves up, dust themselves off, take a long look at what needs to be done to make this work, and try again next year.

I appreciate your candor in not trying to sugar-coat the results and being willing to consider some of the factors (in hindsight) that contributed to the lack of success of the event. I'm a member of one of the largest churches in the Dallas area and to my knowledge not one bit of information was ever passed on to our congregation. Did our staff know and ignore it? I doubt it. Lack of publicity was one of the major problems in my view. Was any effort made to enlist the help of the authors in the area (there are quite a few of us) in publicizing CBE? If so, it didn't reach me or most of my colleagues.

I do hope ECPA can pick themselves up, dust themselves off, take a long look at what needs to be done to make this work, and try again next year.