Biblical text paired with Jolie photos: Publishers hope unique formats draw readers

The creation of former advertising executives, it pairs intense photo essays — including images such as a child with a gun or beatings in the Belgian Congo under King Leopold's II's regime — with the scripture of the New Testament. It is aimed at people who might not otherwise ever read the Bible.

"There is a large part of the population that considers themselves smart, educated, conscientious, connected people who are not particularly religious and have not regularly read the Bible," said Larry Norton, a former publishing executive and president of Illuminated World, the company that is putting out "Bible Illuminated."

"That group of people probably know it would be smarter, more sensitive to their surroundings if they read the Bible if they were religious or not," Norton said.

Illuminated World is quick to point out that they are not affiliated with any church or religion. The Swedish version was sold first in boutiques and design stores, and mainstream bookstores were hesitant to carry it initially. But as it gained popularity, the book was sold more widely and even found a strong secondary market in secular sales.

Norton said sales of "Bible Illuminated" in Sweden, where an estimated 60,000 Bibles are sold each year, reached 30,000 in its first year. They are hoping for similar success in the U.S. and plan to release the New Testament in October and potentially the Old Testament in March. In the U.S., the New Testament is already pre-selling on Amazon and Illuminated World has contracts with most major bookstores.

"We are living in the age of increased secularization and distance from traditional religion," said Robert Hodgson, dean emeritus at the Nida Institute For Biblical Scholarship that is responsible for the translation and quality control for the American Bible Society, which licensed the rights to the Good News version of the Bible to Illuminated World.

"It's about new points of entry in a modern world that is not ready to open its doors and windows to the traditional word," he said.

These "gateway Bibles" — those intended for the secular crowd — seem to be the latest frontier in Bible publishing.

"Contrary to popular belief, I think most Bibles are published for people who are already in the club," Gutjahr said. "Publishing for people who are outside the club, I don't know how much luck there has been with that."

Thomas Nelson publishing, which is one of the largest Bible publishers, broke some ground with "Revolve," a Bible with a teen-magazine style to it. Girls took well to the format, which publishers said made girls feel more comfortable accessing it and carrying it, and sales were strong.

The company is also coming out with a chronological version of the Bible this fall that has built some buzz. While not the first chronological version, this looks more like a social studies text — with informational and historical outakes on the time. The publisher also has an audio version of the Bible with stars such as Marisa Tomei and Richard Dreyfuss, that they hope will do well among the secular crowd.

"I think that is personally what drives me," said Wayne Hastings, a senior vice president at Thomas Nelson. "The inner-circle (of traditional Bible readers) is a great customer but that next circle is what we are after."