RNA Meets in Denver: Hears From Book Authors

From Publisher's Weekly:

Religion Newswriters Meet in Denver; Books a Major Focus

By Marcia Nelson and Lynn Garrett

Publishers were prominent among the sponsors who courted the nation’s religion journalists, gathered in Denver September 23–25 to learn, network, and congratulate one another on still being employed.

Offering more proof that niche-focused shows and conferences make sense, attendance numbers were up at this year’s RNA conference; attendance of 190 (members, exhibitors, speakers, and spouses), including seven journalists from abroad, surpassed last year’s figure of 175.The association now has 573 members, down from a peak of 584 in 2008.

Many of the conference sessions were book based. Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam and his coauthor, University of Notre Dame political science professor David Campbell, introduced findings from their hefty American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (Simon & Schuster, Oct.; see PW’s review) characterizing America as religiously devout, diverse, and tolerant.

At a luncheon sponsored by Jossey-Bass, Donald Kraybill (Amish Grace), the country’s go-to expert on the Amish, spoke about his new book, The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World, coauthored by Steven Nolt and David Weaver-Zercher (Jossey-Bass, Oct.; see PW’s review). Kraybill called the book the first ever focused on Amish religion and practice rather than their unique lifestyle. The book has been featured on CNN.com, and the authors will post a guest commentary on the Washington Post “On Faith” blog next month.

FaithWords hosted the Saturday night awards banquet, featuring Philip Yancey’s latest book, What Good Is God? Yancey spoke, centering his remarks on his own experience as a journalist. Other publishers bringing authors were Doubleday Religion, HarperOne, and Baylor University Press, who all also exhibited, as did Westminster John Knox and Jewish Lights/SkyLight Paths. B&H Publishing sponsored a session on Christian book sales phenoms, including its own 4.5-million seller, The Love Dare (2008).

Preceding the main conference was a full day of sessions on Bible translation to familiarize journalists with the process and history of translation, information that will be useful for reporting on the 400th anniversary of the King James translation and the update of the NIV translation that is due in 2011.

At a panel on how to drive online traffic, Alana B. Elias Kornfeld, senior editor at the Huffington Post, who recently launched the site’s religion area, said Google analytics demonstrated that people used Google to search for religion books.

Johanna Inwood, marketing manager and publicist for Random House’s WaterBrook Multnomah division based in Colorado Springs, Colo., told RBL that Doubleday Religion would “return to its Catholic roots,” and that body-mind-spirit and Buddhist titles that do not fit that emphasis—such as books by the Dalai Lama and Deepak Chopra—will be moved over to the Harmony imprint. Doubleday Religion editor-in-chief Trace Murphy will acquire for both imprints.

RNA meets next year in Durham, N.C., with pre-conference sessions at Duke University.