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CV NEWS FEED // The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) this week reported that as print book sales stagnate in the United States, Bible sales are soaring thanks to first-time buyers.
WSJ Reporter Jeffrey Trachtenberg wrote, “Bible sales are up 22% in the U.S. through the end of October, compared with the same period last year, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. By contrast, total U.S. print book sales were up less than 1% in that period.”
Despite the fact that 28% of U.S. adults identify as religiously unaffiliated, Bible sales rose from 9.7 million in 2019 to 14.2 million in 2023. Sales hit 13.7 million in October 2024.
“People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren,” Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, said in the article. “It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles…and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.”
Trachtenberg wrote that Amber Cimiotti, a mother and influencer on TikTok and Instagram, attributed the rise in Bible sales to people like herself sharing their journeys.
She said that after spending years in the world of self care, health, and career advice, she still felt unfulfilled. She began reading the Bible this year and started sharing stories about Christianity on her social media channels.
She said that instability in society also led her to read the Bible.
“We’re kind of holding on to the edge of the ship, like, we’re not sure what’s happening here,” she reflected.
Amy Simpson, publisher of the Bible division of Tyndale House Publishers, stated in the WSJ article that there seems to be an increase in demand from Gen Z and college students.
“You have a generation that wants to find things that feel more solid,” Simpson commented.
HarperCollins Christian Publishing has attributed the rise in demand to first-time buyers who are spiritually curious and the religiously devout looking to grow in their faith or add to their Bible collections.
