Standard Publishing Celebrates Return to Emphasis on Children’s Books with Number One Bestseller CINCINNATI – August 3, 2009 – Standard Publishing recently announced a change in product strategy with a restored emphasis on children’s books. Historically, Standard’s children’s books were a mainstay on industry bestseller lists. However, in recent years, a stronger emphasis on curriculum products had resulted in a lack of focus on this category. Earlier this year, it was announced that Standard Publishing was restoring an equal weight on curriculum and trade books in their new product development strategy. The success of this strategy was illustrated with the release of the August, ECPA Bestsellers Lists. Standard’s new book, The Gigantic Coloring Book of Bible Stories debuted at #1 on the Christian Kids list. In addition, My Story of Jesus was #3 and Baby’s First Bible was #20. Due to its low price point of $4.99, the coloring book also is #1 on the Bestsellers Under $5 list. “It’s been several years since we have had any products on the Kid’s Bestseller List,” said Standard Publishing President Larry Carpenter. “Our goal is to continue to place a strong focus on our curriculum and VBS products, but to restore the balance with trade books, especially the Children’s books for which we are known.” As support for the success of Standard’s emphasis on curriculum and VBS products, Carpenter cites the Retailer’s Choice Award for VBS Products won by Standard at the recent ICRS trade show. With the return to the bestseller list and the debut of the #1 bestselling book, the company feels like the balance between the product types has been restored. The next step in the strategy is the relaunch of the Baby Blessings line. For years, the Baby Blessings books were a fixture on the bestseller lists with millions of copies sold of the thirty plus products in the line. But those products had slipped from the bestseller list as no new products were rolled out. Seven new Baby Blessings titles will ship at the end of August. As for the next step for The Gigantic Coloring Book of Bible Stories, Carpenter said that the company is reacting to input from the marketplace and will be rolling out a Spanish language version of the product early next year. For more than 140 years, Standard Publishing has been raising the standard for true-to-the-Bible resources that educate, encourage, and enrich. The company is based in Cincinnati, Ohio where it was founded in 1866. For more information, visit www.standardpub.com.
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