New Dutch Youth Bible proves a winner – before its launch

More than just words: the Youth Bible has a number of special features calculated to make it appeal to the intended audience. Photo: UBS/Julian Phillips (NER06DJ-3.JPG)

NETHERLANDS — Less than two years after the success of the new Dutch Bible translation, the Netherlands Bible Society has another hit on its hands in the form of a Bible using the same text but with features calculated – correctly, it appears – to appeal to buyers particularly in the 13–25 age range.

Robert Scholten, Marketing and Communications manager of the Netherlands Bible Society, is clearly delighted at the success of the Youth Bible, which was given a high-profile launch in mid-June.

Special features

“We have sold 750,000 copies of the new Bible translation in 18 months,” he says. “The Youth Bible uses the same text but it also gives all kinds of special features which help young people to read the Bible: there are special introductions to the different books to help you understand the historical context and who is the lead figure in that book, maps of Paul’s journeys and so on.”

But perhaps most eye-catching of all, it comes with no fewer than five different paper jackets, any of which can take pride of place in the transparent dust cover!

“When you are bored with one of the covers, you can just change it!” says Mr Scholten.

Until now the only Bible that the Society had published specifically for young people was one with a metal cover. The translation inside, however, was not an especially contemporary one.

Sold out

Mr Scholten explains that for two months before it officially went on sale, the new Youth Bible was promoted at a discount price from the Society’s web shop. It proved so popular that the entire initial print run of 27,500 copies was completely sold out with pre-launch orders.

“That is almost unique,” says Mr Scholten. “You only see that with the Harry Potter books or that kind of thing. So we decided to produce another 30,000.”

This meant that in mid-July the Bibles were still in short supply with a delivery date of early August. He hopes that within a year the second impression, too, will have sold out.

Teenagers

Young people do read the Bible – official The Netherlands Bible Society has recently published the findings of research it conducted among Christian young people to investigate their Bible-reading habits.      The survey, carried out among more than a thousand young Dutch people from all confessions who attend church at least twice a month, found that almost 35 per cent of them are reading the interconfessional Bible translation published in 2004. Interestingly, the interviews were conducted in September 2005, before the publication of the new Youth Bible.      The findings overturn the persistent idea that young people hardly read the Bible: members of the group, aged from 16 to 25, said they read it regularly. Those from a Reformed Church background turn to it most often – 25 times per month – while those with a Catholic upbringing read it an average of six times per month.      Among the Catholics, it was the Gospels and the history books, such as Judges and Kings, that were most popular. Protestant, Reformed and Evangelical youngsters, on the other hand, expressed a preference for Paul’s Letters and the wisdom literature. All said that they turn to the Bible for guidance on the important questions of life.      The Society has distributed the research findings to churches and Christian youth workers and is using it to inform its own strategic policy for young people.

Prior to its launch, the format and design ideas for the new Youth Bible were tested among young people and four particular teenagers played a major part in the marketing, too. The four, who were given the names Esther, Job, Luke and Ruth – all contemporary names in the Netherlands – appeared in publicity ranging from posters to radio advertisements talking about the features of the Youth Bible that they particularly liked.

The official launch was part of the entertainment offered to a stadium of 32,000 young people in Arhhem in mid-June. The event, was hosted by the largest public broadcaster in the Netherlands, the Evangelical Broadcasting Organisation, who co-produced the Youth Bible with the Bible Society. The event featured Christian speakers and rock bands – and the Dutch Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende.

The leader of the Christian Democrats, a committed Christian himself, took the centre stage and held up the Youth Bible with both hands to an appreciative roar from the assembled young people.

In 2004 the New Interconfessional Bible rose on the bestseller lists to become the second-bestselling book of the year (see Latest News 330). The Netherlands Bible Society is hoping that similar success may await the new Youth Bible.

A web site dedicated to the Youth Bible can be found at www.jongerenbijbel.nl. UBS is not responsible for the content of external web sites. (WR 405/19 -09/10.06) [2 photos]