Prayer of Jabez turns into publishing phenomenon
If you haven't heard of The Prayer of Jabez yet, you soon will.
The skyrocketing sales of this devotional book by Bruce Wilkinson, released last fall, are remarkable. At more than 3.5 million copies sold, it hit number one last month on the New York Times Advice, How-to and Miscellaneous Bestseller's List and is consistently one of the most ordered books on Amazon.com, the Internet-based bookselling giant.
Its Canadian distributor, R.G. Mitchell, says the book's popularity is unprecedented in Canada. Canadian bookstores simply can't keep enough in stock.
"We as a company have never had any one title sell so much in a year," says Robert Young, director of sales and marketing for R.G. Mitchell. He says that per-month sales have surpassed even previous bestsellers such as This Present Darkness and Left Behind.
Not bad for a tiny hardcover book of 93 pages.
And its popularity seems to have little to do with marketing. "I would say it's grassroots," says Young. "Marketing has been minor compared to what God has been doing."
Winnipeg bookstore owner Margo Smith puzzles over its popularity, saying that there hasn't been an unusual amount of promotion of the book. "But, no question, it has made a difference to its readers," she says.
No one, not his publisher, Multnomah, or Wilkinson himself, who recently travelled to Toronto to promote the book, can explain the book's huge draw.
"We have been shocked," said Wilkinson. "We can't claim any credit or brilliance. It's just God deciding that Jabez prayed this prayer thousands of years ago, and maybe now it's time to get it answered."
Wilkinson is founder of the Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, the program in which participants take part in actions and memory work to understand the basic storyline of the Old and New Testaments.
The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, is a reflection on the prayer of a little known character in the Old Testament named Jabez, briefly mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 amidst a long genealogical list.
Wilkinson breaks the prayer down into four parts, telling readers that regularly praying the prayer of Jabez—which asks for God's blessing—is "the key to a life of extraordinary favour with God." He carefully avoids the label of prosperity theology by insisting a blessing from God has to do with reaping the wealth of God's spirit, not necessarily material gain.
The book's grassroots popularity, was nudged by a strong endorsement by James Dobson of Focus on the Family and other Christian celebrities.
Christian chat rooms and Internet message boards—including the official site at www.prayerofjabez.com—are filled with testimonials of people who say their lives have vastly improved after reading the prayer regularly.
Albert Kaan of Toronto says he read the book, prayed the prayer, and has seen his life change. "After praying…I realized that I was giving God a blank cheque to fill out as only our Father could—He is good! I have been blessed with a cell group at work, my Grandma's salvation and increased ministry effectiveness…in just the past two months!"
Lynn Garrett, religion editor at Publishers Weekly told TIME magazine that part of the appeal is its simple how-to approach.
"It's very evangelical and very American, this whole notion that if you know the right technique, the right form, that prayer will be efficient and effective. Kind of like golf."
The book is actually the first in "The Break-through Series." The Secrets of the Vine: Breaking Through to Abundance, released last month discusses four levels of "bearing fruit" in the Christian walk. More than 600,000 copies were pre-sold before the book was printed.
With marketing of ancilliary products recently awarded to a Dallas company, The Prayer of Jabez is likely to be the biggest Christian marketing slogan since "What Would Jesus Do?"
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