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Home » Archives for Dan Balow

Dan Balow

Bestselling Christian Books in 1977

By Dan Balowon January 26, 2023
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Forty-five years ago this spring (March 12, 1978), The New York Times ran a story giving the best-selling books of 1977. They created the list by sampling 2,500 Christian bookstores affiliated with the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA).

While bestseller lists of Christian books are derived differently now, this list is interesting and shows how the Christian publishing market has changed–or not–in 45 years.

Hardcover Christian Book Bestsellers of 1977

  1. A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT PSALM 23, by W. Phillip Keller (Zondervan)
  2. NORMA, by Norma Zimmer (Tyndale)
  3. HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE, by Francis A. Schaeffer (Revell)
  4. JONI, by Joni Eareckson (Zondervan)
  5. ANGELS: GOD’S SECRET AGENTS, by Billy Graham (Doubleday)
  6. HOW TO BE BORN AGAIN, by Billy Graham (Word Books)
  7. I LOVE THE WORD IMPOSSIBLE, by Ann Kiemel (Tyndale)
  8. MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST, by Oswald Chambers (Dodd, Mead)
  9. WHAT WIVES WISH THEIR HUSBANDS KNEW ABOUT WOMEN, by James Dobson (Tyndale)
  10. TESTED BY FIRE, by Merrill and Virginia Womack (Revell)
  11. BORN AGAIN, by Charles W. Colson (Chosen/Revell)
  12. IT’S INCREDIBLE, by Ann Kiemel (Tyndale)
  13. ON BEING A CHRISTIAN, by Hans King (Doubleday)
  14. EACH NEW DAY, by Corrie ten Boom (Revell)
  15. WHAT IS A FAMILY, Edith Schaeffer (Revell)

Paperback Christian Book Bestsellers of 1977

  1. JONI, by Joni Eareckson and Joe Musser (World Wide)
  2. BORN AGAIN, Charles W. Colson (Spire)
  3. MERE CHRISTIANITY, by C.S. Lewis (Macmillan)
  4. ACT OF MARRIAGE, by Tim and Beverly LaHaye (Zondervan)
  5. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WOMEN PRAY, by Evelyn Christenson (Victor)
  6. NORMA, by Norma Zimmer (Tyndale)
  7. I’M OUT TO CHANGE MY WORLD, by Ann Kiemel (Impact Books)
  8. THE LATE, GREAT PLANET EARTH, by Hal Lindsey & C.C. Carlson (Zondervan)
  9.  PRISON TO PRAISE, by Merlin Carothers (Logos)
  10. GOD CALLING, by A.J. Russell (Spire)
  11. HINDS FEET ON HIGH PLACES, by Hannah Hurnard (Tyndale)
  12. LIFE AFTER LIFE, by Raymond A. Moody Jr. (Bantam)
  13. HOW TO LIVE LIKE A KING’S KID, by Harold Hill (Logos)
  14. I LOVE THE WORD IMPOSSIBLE, by Ann Kiemel (Tyndale)
  15. THE HIDING PLACE, by Corrie ten Boom (Spire)

Bestselling Bibles of 1977

  1. THE LIVING BIBLE, paraphrased by Kenneth N. Taylor (Tyndale)
  2. THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (Collins World, Moody and Nelson)
  3. GOOD NEWS BIBLE (American Bible Society, Collins World and Nelson)
  4. NEW SCOFIELD REFERENCE BIBLE, edited by C.I. Scofield (Oxford Univ. Press)
  5. THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT (Zondervan)
  6. THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, edited by Alexander Jones (Doubleday)
  7. THE NEW CHAIN-REFERENCE BIBLE, by Frank Charles Thompson (Kirkbride)
  8. THE OPEN BIBLE, edited by Manfred G. Gutzke (Nelson)

Miscellaneous Christian books releasing in 1978

THE CELEBRATION OF DISCIPLINE, by Richard Foster (Harper & Row)

THE PICTURE BIBLE, by Iva Hoth (David C. Cook)

THE BOOK OF DUN COW, by Walter Wangerin (HarperCollins)

THE STRONG-WILLED CHILD, by James Dobson (Tyndale)

 

 

 

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Category: Publishing History

What I Am Looking For (Dan Balow)

By Dan Balowon January 18, 2023
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(Updated 1/18/2023) One of the great challenges for any agent is to figure out what publishers might be looking to publish. But it gets even more complicated when you consider they are looking for books to publish a year or more into the future. Add on the time it takes to write a book and get it ready to publish, and we are all in the guessing game of what people might want to read in 2024 and …

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Category: Agency, Book ProposalsTag: Agency, book proposals

365 Days to Sing God’s Praise

By Dan Balowon January 1, 2023
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Happy New Year! Today marks the 250th anniversary of the first performance of “Amazing Grace,” written by pastor John Newton to accompany his sermon. It was originally written as poetry. The familiar melody was added in 1835, though the words were sung to various traditional tunes before that. At the time, Newton was parish priest of the Anglican church in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. (If you …

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Category: Inspiration, Personal, Theology

Christmas Questions

By Dan Balowon December 22, 2022
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When Christian singer/songwriters Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene collaborated on the modern Christmas classic “Mary Did You Know?” they hit on some meaningful themes that inspire millions each year. Honestly, I think they were a little presumptuous asking a pregnant lady or mother of a young child so many questions, but at least the song doesn’t wait for her responses! She had enough on her mind. I …

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Category: Creativity, Theology

Repetition Is Talent

By Dan Balowon December 14, 2022
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Early in my career, I attended a business conference that had a profound effect on my view of work ever since. First, I recall the presenter talking about the use of statistics and data in business. Data can support any position, depending on how you use it. It is like having an opinion and finding Scripture to back it up. Almost always the text is taken out of context. The same thing happens with …

Read moreRepetition Is Talent
Category: Career, The Writing Life

Pet Peeves

By Dan Balowon December 1, 2022
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Pet peeves. We all have them, and we all do things that are pet peeves for others. How about starting a blog post with a two-word sentence, which isn’t a sentence? Anyone? Bueller? My Pet Peeves On one hand, I am like everyone else. I don’t like repetitive tapping or spam phone calls late at night. Those are the easy ones. I am also incredibly annoyed by bicyclists who never, ever observe any kind …

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Category: Agents, Humor

What’s the Deal With One-Sheets?  

By Dan Balowon November 17, 2022
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I believe it is safe to say almost every book is purchased before it is read. Or, at the very least, the decision to read it is made before it is read. Wow, we are mining the depths of Dan’s publishing wisdom today. There’s a reason aspiring and even experienced authors are encouraged to create a one-page pitch sheet for their books. If you can’t explain your work in relatively few words, you need …

Read moreWhat’s the Deal With One-Sheets?  
Category: Book Proposals, Pitching

Give Away Your Story

By Dan Balowon November 9, 2022
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Agents have a difficult time selling any kind of personal story, from memoirs that contain memories from one’s life to other types of autobiographical works that might recap the author’s story as a series of events. Regardless of the type, this writing generates very limited interest from traditional publishers, unless the author has a good-size marketing platform because they achieved a level of …

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Category: Book Proposals, Indie, Inspiration, Marketing

Just Write the Opposite

By Dan Balowon October 27, 2022
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From season five of the television sitcom Seinfeld, a revealing quote from the character George Costanza: “It all became very clear to me sitting out there today, that every decision I’ve ever made, in my entire life, has been wrong. My life is the complete opposite of everything I want it to be. Every instinct I have, in every aspect of life, be it something to wear, something to …

Read moreJust Write the Opposite
Category: The Writing Life, Theology

Building Your Platform Without Becoming a Narcissist

By Dan Balowon October 19, 2022
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Authors in the process of building and maintaining their media platforms can easily slip into a self-focused effort, evaluating every relationship with an eye toward their personal benefit, seeking attention in any way possible, and exhibiting all the traits of destructive pride. Well now, there’s a cheery thought to start the day. Some little hairs must have gotten under my collar after my last …

Read moreBuilding Your Platform Without Becoming a Narcissist
Category: Branding, Marketing, Social Media, The Writing Life
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