Blogger Reviews of Our Obama Book

A couple of weeks ago, I made an offer to bloggers. I told them that we would send them a free copy of The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield in exchange for their agreement to write a 200-word review of the book.

I did not require that the reviews be positive. My thinking is that any publicity would helpful, even if it is negative. Interestingly, nearly all of the reviews have been positive.

Some Athletes Who Didn’t Make It to the Olympics

For every athlete who made it to the Olympics, there are hundreds—probably thousands—who tried out. Here are a few who didn’t quite make the cut. All I can say is “Ouch!”

Advice to First-Time Authors

As you might imagine, I receive a lot of email from would-be authors who are trying to get published. Because I make my email address public, it’s pretty easy to get to me.

However, by the time I hear from people, they are usually frustrated. They can’t get anyone in the book publishing world to respond, and they are convinced that they have a killer-idea. “If only someone would just read my manuscript,” they plead.

Why Obama’s Faith Matters

Today is the official pub date for The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield. I am very excited about its publication. Of all the books about Obama that have been or will be published, this is the only one I know of that deals exclusively with his faith.

Note: If you are a blogger and want a copy of this book to review, please send an email to Lindsey Nobles, our Director of Corporate Communications. She will send you a free copy of the book in exchange for your promise to blog about it. We don’t care if your review is positive, negative, or somewhere in between, so long as you write at least a 200-word review of the book. This offer is limited to the first 100 bloggers who respond. Update: By popular demand: we are extending this to the first 200 bloggers.

Two years ago, virtually no one outside of the state of Illinois had heard of him. Today, he is a household name, not only in America but around the world. Millions find him to be an inspirational and articulate leader—just what we need at this moment in history. Others find him calculating and dangerous—the same old liberalism in a different package.

Creating a Sense of Urgency

Twenty years ago, Robert Wolgemuth and I started a publishing company. We had a dream to publish books that truly made a difference, in people’s lives and in the overall culture.

The only problem was that we didn’t have much money. Our competitors had seemingly every advantage, including piles of working capital (or so we thought). All we had was a dream and our ability to respond quickly.

My Daily Reading Habits

I love reading. I guess that’s why I got in the publishing business to begin with. After almost thirty years, I am still a content glutton. I have in insatiable desire for input.

I read all kinds of stuff: books, the Bible, magazines, newspapers, blogs, and even microblogs like Twitter. I also read a wide variety of genres. My tastes are very eclectic. Mostly, I just enjoying discovering and experiencing new things.

Thomas Nelson Wins Evangelical Book of the Year

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) just announced that our Word of Promise audio bible won the “Book of the Year” award for 2008. Wayne Hastings, Senior Vice President and Group Publisher for our Bible & Reference Group, accepted the award at the Christian Book Awards, held in Orlando, Florida, at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS).

The amazing thing is that it is the first time in the 30-year history of the award that it went to a non-book. Think about it. First, it’s an audio Bible, rather than a traditional print book. Second, it’s a Bible rather than a book. This is fascinating. What does it mean for the future of publishing?

Top 10 Reasons to Buy the New iPhone 3G

The new iPhone 3G launches next week. July 11 to be exact. You’ve seen the ads. You’ve read the hype. Now let’s be honest. You’ve already made the decision to buy an iPhone 3G. You fell in love the first time you saw it. Now, you just need to justify the decision and enroll your brain in the process.

Here are my top ten reasons to buy (or upgrade to) the iPhone 3G. These might also come in handy in trying to convince your spouse!

Media Correction: PW Says I Went Ape Over the Lynne Spears Tell-All

Usually, Publishers Weekly (or “PW,” as industry insiders call it) gets it right. Through the years, they have been very good to Thomas Nelson and to me. But today, I think they missed the boat. In “The PW Morning Report,” they said:

Britney’s Mom’s Memoir “Totally Compelling,” Thomas Nelson Editor Tells Gawker

Michael Hyatt of the Christian publisher goes ape over Lynne Spear’s tell-all: “I can’t put it down,” Hyatt gushed, “People are going to be surprised. The media have it so wrong.”

Creating a Life Plan

I have met very few people who have a plan for their lives. Most are passive spectators, watching their lives unfold a day at a time. They may plan their careers, the building of a new home, or even a vacation. But it never occurs to them to plan their life. As a result, many end up discouraged and disillusioned, wondering where they went wrong.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can live your life on purpose. It begins by creating a “Life Plan.” This won’t insulate you from life’s many adversities and unexpected twists and turns, but it will help you become an active participant in your life, intentionally shaping your own future.

Life Is Like a Tapestry

This morning I had breakfast with Fitz, an old college roommate. We hadn’t seen each other in twenty-two years. To my surprise—and delight—he looked almost exactly as he did the last time I saw him. The only difference was that his blond hair was mostly gray.

We spent an hour or so eating and reminiscing. We talked. We laughed. And we listened. I shared with him pictures of my family, both of us laughing at the fact that I was a grandpa. I was amazed at how much we still had in common, even though both our lives and taken so many unexpected turns.

Yes, You Can Stay on Top of Email

Last week, one of my friends asked, “How do you get through all of your email. It’s killing me. I just can’t seem to get on top of it.” I know the feeling.

Actually, I get asked this question a lot. Despite all the current technology and software tools available, many people are falling further behind with each passing day. They just can’t seem to keep up with the avalanche of digital messages hitting their inbox.

What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

The debate about the future of book publishing is largely focused on two questions: First, how will books be sold (bricks and mortar vs. the Internet)? And, second, how will the content be delivered (traditional bound books vs. digital)? Both of these issues are, of course, being driven by the new realities made possible via the Internet.

But I think something even more profound is happening. While the Internet is shaping how we read, it is also shaping how we think.

When WOW Becomes Not-WOW

When Apple introduced the original iPhone last summer, it was a complete WOW experience. People expected a new phone, but their expectations were shaped entirely by their previous experiences with cell phones. As a result, Apple exceeded the market’s expectations. The company reinvented the cell phone and WOWed the market.

Among other things, Apple redefined voice mail and Web browsing on a mobile device. The company married a phone to an iPod and threw in an amazing touch-screen interface to boot. The device has proven so popular that Apple has sold five million phones in the last year.

The How of WOW

Recently, while on vacation, Gail and I saw two movies in the theater. (I’m not going to mention which movies, because whether you agree with my assessment is not the point.) Both movies sounded great. We eagerly looked forward to seeing them.

Unfortunately, we were disappointed in both movies. We left the theater regretting that we had made the investment in terms of money and the time.

Top Ten Book Publishers in America (Through March 2008)

It’s been more than a year since I updated our list of the Top Ten Publishers in America. Because of some changes in the available point-of-sale data, we were not able to get create a reliable ranking. However, we have seen an improvement in recent months. It’s not perfect, but we do believe it represents the best data currently available.

These lists are based on revenues for the twelve months ending March 31, 2008. We created these lists from a proprietary database we have assembled at Thomas Nelson. It is based on various point-of-sale systems from multiple sales channels.

The Single Most Important Key to Achieving Your Goals

Several years ago, I wrote out a list of “100 Things I Want to Do Before I Die.” It’s really an amazing, audacious list. Whenever I review it, I am both inspired and stunned by how many of the items I have already accomplished. And yet, there is so much more. The list keeps growing.

I’ll bet you have a list, too. Perhaps you’ve written it down; perhaps not. Regardless, you doubtless want to accomplish things—probably a lot of things. Really important things. Unfortunately, life is short. I have more to accomplish than I could probably do in seven lifetimes.

Thomas Nelson Employees Speak Out About the Half Marathon

About three weeks ago, 135 of our employees completed the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee. (Our Dallas-based employees completed the Big-D Dallas Half Marathon a month earlier.) While it was fresh in their minds, I wanted to capture their thoughts.

So Lindsey Nobles, my Director of Corporate Communications, produced this simple 6-minute video with the help of David Woodard at Literary Video. In it, our Nashville employees talk about their experience. I can’t wait until next year.

This Publisher Evidently Didn’t Get the Memo

I hear publishers and booksellers complaining all the time about how bad the book publishing industry is. Gas prices are up. Retail traffic is down. Books are simply not moving. One pundit remarked, “Flat is the new up.” Evidently, Dwight Baker and his team at Baker Publishing Group didn’t get the memo.

For the fiscal year ending April 30, 2008, Baker reported sales up 16% to $57.9. Yes, they had a huge hit with 90 Minutes in Heaven, but, according to Dwight, their sales growth was “much more comprehensive” than this one title. In fact, the company experienced growth in all divisions: Revell was up 26%; Chosen, 25%; Baker Books, 15%; Baker Academic, 13%; Brazos, 10%, and Bethany House, 9%.

The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter

This post is a 20-minute guide to Twitter for non-techies. (If you don’t know what Twitter is, you can start with my first post on the topic, Twitter-dee, Twitter-dum. If you still aren’t convinced, then read 12 Reasons to Start Twittering.)

Saturday night over dinner, I helped my friend, Karen Anderson, get started on Twitter. Yesterday, my son-in-law, Chris Crimmins, got started. He was having some difficulty getting his phone hooked up to Twitter. I thought, I wish I had a simple, step-by-step guide to give him.