Although more and more US citizens define themselves as secular, the demand for the book of books, the Bible, is increasing. Concerns about inflation and the economy, global conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and internal political conflict in the U.S. contributed to a 22% increase in Bible book sales in October, compared to the same period last year, the Wall Street Journal reported.
According to the Pew Research Center, about 28% of adults in the U.S. today define themselves as not religiously affiliated, yet, sales of the Bible increased from 9.7 million in 2019 to 14.2 million in 2023, and have already reached to 13.7 million in the first 10 months of 2024. Readers are also equipped with accompanying books that provide guidance, insights and context - and even sticker sets to mark especially significant sections.
“People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren,” said Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. “It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles…and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.”
Cely Vazquez, a 28-year-old artist and influencer who has appeared on the reality TV show “Love Island USA, recently purchased her first Bible, one from the “She Reads Truth” line—at Barnes & Noble. “I’ve had Bibles that my mom gave me, but I felt I needed my own to start my own journey, that it symbolized I was starting a walk with God,” she said. “I felt something was missing. It’s a combination of where we are in the world, general anxiety and the sense that meaning and comfort can be found in the Bible.”
The website of Faith & Life Bookstore, located in Newton, Kansas, offers more than 270 Bibles, including a $95 leather-bound large-print edition for $96 and a $7.99 pocket-size New Testament. Others sell graphic novel Bibles, reference Bibles in a rainbow of color options, versions intended specifically for men and teens and early readers, audiobooks, and even one bound in goatskin, for $832.50
In March, President-elect Donald Trump endorsed the God Bless the USA Bible edition, which sells online for $59.99. The Oklahoma Department of Education recently purchased more than 500 copies of this Bible for local schools.
Publishers say the books are selling well at religious bookstores, as well as on Amazon.com and at more mainstream retailers. People buy print copies to make notes in and highlight, but often supplement them with audiobooks as well.
The proliferation of new editions and innovative designs has made this a golden age of Bible publishing. According J. Mark Bertrand, founder of Lectio.org, a website about Bible design, the demand may be largely driven by targeted marketing efforts, alongside a growing demand from people looking for answers.
“I’d like to say there is a craving for knowledge of scripture, but a lot of smart people are thinking about Bible marketing and catering to every whim for Bible study,” Bertrand said.
Tyndale House Publishers, for example, offers a variety of answers to those whims, including a colorful study Bible with maps and charts and biographies of biblical characters for students. Amy Simpson, Tyndale Bible Department publisher, says there is an increase in interest among members of Generation Z. " You have a generation that wants to find things that feel more solid,” she says.
HarperCollins Publishers, which like The Wall Street Journal is owned by News Corp, listed Bibles among a handful of particularly strong sellers in its latest quarterly earnings report. Also on the list was the memoir of Vice President-elect JD Vance, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
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HarperCollins, which markets itself as the largest U.S. trade publisher in the Bible category, attributes the demand to two distinct groups: the spiritually curious, perhaps purchasing their first Bible, and those seeking a deeper sense of spirituality and expanding existing Bible collections.
According to the group's president and CEO, Mark Schoenwald, buyers are even more enthusiastic about celebrities who decide for the first time to share their faith with the general public. He points to NBC star Savannah Guthrie’s recent book, “Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere.”