"...of making many books there is no end..." Ecc. 12:12

I come to you live from what is still widely known as the Christian Booksellers Association Convention in Denver, though it is now officially named "The International Christian Retail Show," and I, for verbal economy's sake, simply call "The Spectacle."

As in previous years, I am stupified by the sheer numbers of Christian publishers producing thousands of new titles--all chasing a finite and shrinking pool of readers.

Three years ago, everyone was hoping to produce the next Prayer of Jabez. Two years ago every publisher prayed to have the next Purpose Driven Life. This year, there seem to be a lot of imitators of The Power of a Praying Wife.

The brutal fact is, publishers have no way of knowing what author/book/topic combination is going to be the one to catch fire and become a runaway bestseller in the coming year. This vexes them sorely.

More reports to come.