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Audra Jennings
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Tina Jacobson
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Dallas/ Ft. Worth, TX—For many bookstores and publishers, the end of the 2009 fiscal year couldn’t come soon enough. Several major chains, including Borders, have announced widespread layoffs. But the news isn’t all bad. While bookstores and publishers alike posted dismal sales figures, David C Cook (DCC) is experiencing increases in book sales for 2009 over 65%.
Since 1885, when founder David C. Cook printed his first Sunday school curriculum in his father’s print shop, DCC has grown into a leading supplier of discipleship resources devoted to serving the church, often with little public fanfare. Over a century later, the industry giant achieved breakout success with Francis Chan’s bestselling Crazy Love which has sold well over 750,000 copies. But Crazy Love is not the only reason that Cook has to celebrate.
How has DCC managed to thrive while others in the publishing industry struggle just to survive? The company traces its remarkable growth to the diversity of its authors, quality of its resources, its core values, and mission as a non-profit discipleship organization serving the worldwide local church. These factors, along with a creative talented employee base, drive DCC’s primary focus: content.
As an industry leader, DCC offers unique opportunities and invaluable perspective to both new and established authors and church ministries looking to increase their reach in the Global market. “Thanks in part to the gains of the past year, we are poised for further growth in 2010,” says Cris Doornbos, Cook’s President and CEO. “We are constantly considering those voices that God has gifted to expand our diverse lineup of authors and product lines. This includes well-known authors like Brennan Manning and Joni Eareckson Tada and relatively unknown authors who, like Francis Chan, may be the sources of tomorrow’s church-shaping content. We are also looking to create some long-term partnerships with authors and ministries looking to publish multiple projects.”
In other areas, DCC has increased its market share, even propelling itself from fourth place to the leading Christian distributor in Canada, by creating an organizational-wide culture where content is king. “Even in a tough economy, quality content will find an audience,” says DCC Senior Vice President Editorial/Publisher Dan Rich. Convinced of this truth, the company has chosen to publish fewer books in fewer categories, instead focusing on 5 key audiences to allow for greater focus on the depth and quality of the titles they release. “David C Cook exists to transform lives and to shape disciples. We do that by providing the most relevant, transformational content, not by flooding the market with titles,” Rich says.
DCC is unique among Christian publishers. Through Kingsway, David C Cook’s praise and worship music ministry, the company also publishes 30% of the most popular praise and worship music in the church today including artists such as Matt Redmond, Tim Hughes and Brenton Brown. Worship and music play a pivotal role in the ever-changing church culture, and DCC’s close relationships with worship leaders and songwriters have given the company an edge in forecasting market trends.
Besides publishing and distributing discipleship resources, DCC devotes the money it makes and 100% of the donations it receives to providing free discipleship materials to pastors and teachers in underdeveloped countries, supporting indigenous ministries in places like India, China, Cuba, and many more. In this sense, the fiscal triumphs of 2009 have been felt around the world, and the organization is looking forward to even greater successes this year. As Cris Doornbos states, “At the end of the day it is about seeing lives transformed to a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ”.
Since 1875, David C Cook continues to be a leading nonprofit global resource provider serving the Church with life transforming materials Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Co, with offices in Elgin, Illinois, Paris, Ontario, Canada and Eastbourne, UK, David C Cook resources are published in over 150 languages, distributed in more than 80 countries, and sold worldwide. The Kingsway music division produces over 30% of the top 500 praise and worship songs sung around the world. For more information visit www.davidccook.com