Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Attending the International Christian Retail Sales Convention

Okay, I’ll admit it. Not long ago I posted (on another blog) a lament that people—Christians included—seem to read less than they used to. And why not? Competition in the form of movies, TV, video games, etc., abound, and there are only so many hours in the day.

But today I’m encouraged. Just last month I attended the annual ICRS (International Christian Retails Sales) Convention in Orlando, where I got to connect with lots of other Christians who absolutely adore books. There were book writers, book sellers, book readers, book publishers, and lots of media that wanted nothing more than to talk about books. Does it get any better than that?

True, the ICRS convention is not as big as it used to be, but the enthusiasm is still there. And, as I am every year, I was excited to meet and talk with international book buyers and authors. I always find it beneficial to talk with people from other cultures and get perspective on what believers in different settings and circumstances are reading. It seems readers’ tastes are wide and varied, but always ready for a great story or Bible study to challenge them in their walk with Jesus.

So what about you? Are you encouraged to know that Christian books are still important enough to draw people from all over the world to see what’s being written, to order books for their stores, to sign contracts for new books? If so, how about tossing out some ideas about what you like to read and why, what you wish you could read and maybe haven’t been able to find? I, for one, am open to suggestion, as I believe many others who attended the convention are too.

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