(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson, Inc. announced today that during the quarter ending June 30 the company saw significant growth in its sales to general market bookstores. In total the net revenue of the general market bookstore accounts grew 149% over the same period last year.  The company defines general market bookstores as those, whether chains or independents, that sell more than explicitly Christian products.

“With all the negative economic news, it is extremely encouraging to see this kind of momentum,” stated Sally Hofmann, Senior Vice President of General Market Sales for Thomas Nelson. “We are finding that in tough times, readers are predominantly looking for books that do two things; they are looking for non-fiction that helps answer uncertainty and provides comfort and for fiction that provides a sense of escapism.”

This growth was driven by the success of a handful of recent releases including Andy Andrews’ The Noticer that has been on the New York Times bestseller list for the last eleven weeks and Fox News correspondent Lis Wiehl’s debut novel Face of Betrayal. Also, perennial New York Times bestsellers such as Ron Hall and Denver Moore’s touching memoir Same Kind of Different as Me and Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover continued to generate strong sales.

“This is only the beginning. I anticipate that we will continue to see substantial growth in the general market for the remainder of the year,” continued Hofmann. “Our fall list is spectacular. Several of our major releases including Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Marcus Buckingham’s Find Your Strongest Life, and Max Lucado’s Fearless are already generating buzz from retailers and consumers alike.”

Thomas Nelson is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes.  For more information, visit our website www.thomasnelson.com.

Contact:    Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications   

tel:    (615) 902-1109    

fax:    (615) 902-1110
email: lnobles@thomasnelson.com 

web:    www.thomasnelson.com

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