Is the The Biblethe most printed book of all time, experiencing a boom?
As The Wall Street Journal recently reportedsales of the Bible (in its various editions) increased 22% in the United States through the end of October 2024 compared to the same period last year, according to the book tracker About BookScan. This despite nearly a third of American adults identifying as religiously unaffiliated.
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In contrast, print book sales overall increased only 1% during the same period.
Los experts cited by the WSJ attributed the increase in Bible sales to readers seeking comfort and meaning amid growing anxiety and uncertainty in the culture; the emergence of new versions and formats of the Bible that meet diverse preferences; and strategic marketing campaigns to reach new audiences, such as young people who want to make their faith their own by purchasing their own Bible.
Several prominent Catholic publishers told EWTN News’ CNA that they, too, are riding this wave of increased Bible sales, with many attributing the increase to a spiritual hunger among Catholics to immerse themselves in God’s Word for free. themselves.
A biblical “moment” in culture
To Word on Firethe Catholic media and publishing apostolate founded by Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, the “rise of the Bible” has been very tangible.
Brandon Vogt, senior editorial director of Word on Fire and managing editor of the series Word on Fire Bibletold CNA that the apostolate has sold more than half a million volumes of the Word on Fire Bible since the product launch in 2020, far exceeding their own expectations.
“We ordered 50,000 copies, which seemed like a lot, and we expected them to last at least a year or two. Surprisingly, we sold out of the leather copies within 24 hours and most of the hardcover and paperback editions within a few weeks. Sales haven’t slowed since then,” Vogt said.
Jon Bator, senior director of sales and marketing for Word on Fire, added that the apostolate was “certainly surprised” by the popularity of the series and “has since struggled to keep up with constant demand,” in part because the volume leather bound is printed in Italy.
“Monthly demand has been pretty consistent, even with very little marketing and promotion,” he said.
Bator said Word on Fire’s approach to creating its Bible was to “start with beauty,” which means making the Bible itself a beautiful object, taking great care with illustrations, typography, binding and materials. of the volume. Beyond that, the book includes commentary from a wide range of voices, the most prominent of which is that of Bishop Barron himself, who is a sought-after preacher.
“By highlighting beauty in both design and content, it is especially intended to appeal to those who, whether they fully realize it or not, tirelessly seek the Lord,” Bator added.
Vogt said he believes the Bible is experiencing a cultural “moment.”
“From Jordan Peterson’s Bible lectures on Genesis and Exodus, which attracted millions of views on YouTube and sold out stadiums across the country, to the podcast The Bible in one year From Father Mike Schmitz, which for a time was the number one podcast in the world, to Bishop Barron’s weekly sermons on YouTube, which attract hundreds of thousands of viewers each Sunday, we are seeing the Bible presented in new and exciting ways and people are responding. The Word on Fire Bible offers another example,” Vogt said.
“People have grown tired of the ‘your truth, my truth’ paradigm and are hungry for the truth, which in part explains why many are returning to this ancient text that claims to be the very Word of God, not just a word between many”.
“A revolution in the reading of the Bible by Catholics”
Ignatius Press, which has been a major name in Catholic Bible publishing for decades, recently announced a new study Bible created in conjunction with the St. Paul Biblical Theology Center by Professor Scott Hahn, who is already contributing to the current rise of the Bible.
The new Ignatius Catholic Study Bible includes the complete text of the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition of the Bible, plus notes, detailed maps, introductory essays for each book, and more than 17,000 footnotes and thousands of cross-references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The notes aim to clarify the historical and cultural context, explain unknown customs, and illuminate theological themes, emphasizing the interconnection of the Old and New Testaments.
Mark Brumley, president of Ignatius Press, told CNA that he sees the recent increase in Bible sales as a reflection of a growing hunger for God and spiritual guidance in society. The new Ignatius Catholic Study Bible has already sold about 40,000 copies, and at least 20,000 more than the current circulation are expected to sell, he said.
Ignatius already sells approximately 100,000 copies of various editions of its line of Ignatius Bibles annually, and Brumley confirmed that the company has seen a “steady increase” in interest and sales in recent years.
“I’m not surprised this is happening. I see signs of it in my own Catholic parish and in different places around the country, that Catholics are reading the Bible,” Brumley said in response to questions from CNA during a Dec. 2 press event.
The Bible is “a place where more and more Catholics are turning to understand what God has said and done in history… It doesn’t surprise me that Bible sales are increasing. “I think we are at a point in the Catholic Church where we are seeing almost a revolution in the reading of the Bible by Catholics.”
Brumley told CNA that he considers the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible as a complementary resource rather than a replacement for other Bibles. He expressed enthusiasm for the wide range of Catholic Bibles available and acknowledged the contributions of other publishers such as Ascension Press and the Augustine Institute.
He said he hopes the new Ignatius Catholic Study Bible will help Catholics not only read the Bible but understand it in its entirety.
“We are allowing Catholics to have access to the Bible and improve their ability to read the Holy Scriptures, so that teachers and professors of the Bible can come and take them to an even higher level… I am glad that they are going to have this tool at their disposal to help them go deeper and come to know Jesus in a more solid way.”
The “explosive factor” of “The Bible in a Year”
At the beginning of 2021, the podcast Bible in a Year (The Bible in a Year), read in its entirety by Father Mike Schmitz, a popular Minnesota priest, climbed the podcast charts and dethroned several of the most popular secular podcasts for a few weeks, becoming downloaded more than 500 million times.
Jonathan Strate, CEO of Ascension, the Catholic publisher that produces the podcast, told CNA that Bible in a Year (BIY) has been an “explosive factor” that has boosted sales of Ascension Bibles.
The Great Adventure Catholic Biblealready a popular article and formatted to be read alongside BIY, remained out of print for months after the podcast launched in early 2021.
While he can’t quantify whether or not its own boom in Bible sales contributed to the national trend, Strate said the company “certainly hopes that BIY has been a factor in this resurgence.”
“We have found that BIY attracts new audience members and also invites current members to repeat the tour year after year. We hear from audience members who repeat BIY annually and find new ideas and meanings each year,” he told CNA, adding that Ascension continually receives requests from customers for additional Bible products to what they already offer.
In addition to the Bible itself, Ascension promotes its color-coded Bible Chronology Learning System, created by biblical scholar Jeff Cavins and designed to help people understand “how the big picture of salvation history fits together.”
“Many people have had difficulty reading the Bible for years because they have never been taught that it tells the story of God’s salvation of humanity from the beginning of time until now. Having this perspective, and the color coding on each page, helps them make connections they have never made before. Understanding what they are reading helps them fall in love with the Scriptures and want to return to them again and again,” Strate said.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Jonah McKeown
Jonah McKeown is a writer and podcast producer for Catholic News Agency. He has a master’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked as a writer, radio producer and videographer.