I knew that The Purpose Driven Life, by California pastor and author Rick Warren, had sold record-breaking quantities since it was first published by Zondervan in October 2002.
But I didn’t realize that — with more than 52 million copies sold — it claims the the position as the bestselling nonfiction hardback book in history, according to Publishers Weekly. The devotional was also most identified in a Barna survey of American pastors and ministers as the book that was most influential on their lives and ministries, according to The Christian Post. Read the article here.
It’s interesting to speculate: the publishing industry has changed so dramatically since 2002, with fragmenting audiences, fewer Christian bookstores, decreasing book sales, more people using free online resources — if the book were released today, could it achieve the same impact and the same sales figures?
Warren is taking time off to work on his next book, which will be released in 2010 and is titled The Hope of the World. The new book will be about the church’s role, and you probably can get a good idea about his main points from this article posted on pastors.com titled The Church: The greatest force on earth.
It’s highly unlikely that any followup book can match the numbers and buzz racked up by Purpose Driven. Rick Warren is a philanthropist, theologian, entrepreneur and global strategist. He has been the subject of polarizing negative commentary by both liberals and conservatives. He acted as a lightning rod for objecting views from all sides during the Obama U.S. presidential election campaign. So expect the knives to be sharpened as reviewers get their hands on advance reading copies of the new book… and for some to call it a disappointing failure, no matter how many hundreds of thousands it sells.
– Wendy E. Nelles
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Rick Warren Embarks on Follow-Up to ‘Purpose Driven Life’
Megachurch Pastor Rick Warren is working on his next book – the follow up to the bestselling Purpose Driven Life, which launched the Southern California preacher into national prominence.
Thu, Jul. 23, 2009 Posted: 10:39 PM EDT
Megachurch Pastor Rick Warren is working on his next book – the follow-up to the bestselling Purpose Driven Life, which launched the Southern California preacher into national prominence.
“I’m in book writing mode right now,” Warren reported in a broadcast to his church members Thursday. “I’ve gone back into hibernation to write the follow up to Purpose Driven Life now, eight years later. It’s going to be called The Hope of the World, and my plan is to release that on Easter Sunday – our 30th anniversary – next year.”
Warren had announced during the 2009 Purpose Driven Network Summit in May that he was going to take some time off soon to work on his next book, which will be about the Church and its role in today’s times.
On Thursday, the evangelical leader asked church members to pray for him as he’s writing.
“[P]ray … that God’s Spirit will guide me in writing this next book just as He did with Purpose Driven Life so that it can change hundreds, thousands, and even more than of lives all around the world,” he said.
Since its release seven years ago, The Purpose Driven Life has sold over 52 million copies and has been described as the bestselling nonfiction hardback book in history. The 2002 devotional book was also most identified in a Barna survey of American pastors and ministers as the book that was most influential on their lives and ministries.
Last year, Warren released The Purpose of Christmas, his first book since Purpose Driven Life. The 125-page gift book, which Warren called “the most evangelistic book I’ve ever written,” hit the New York Times’ list of top 5 bestselling Hardcover Advice books after two weeks on the bookshelves.
All net proceeds of The Purpose of Christmas have gone to benefit Warren’s PEACE Plan – a global initiative created to mobilize millions of Christians in the fight against the five global “giants” of spiritual emptiness, self-centered leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease and illiteracy/education.
Eric Young
Christian Post Reporter
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Terms and Conditions – Privacy Policy – Copyright Policyauthor/pastor Rick Warren. He is working on his next book – the follow up to the bestselling Purpose Driven Life, which launched the Southern California preacher into national prominence.Megachurch Pastor Rick Warren is working on his next book – the follow up to the bestselling Purpose Driven Life, which launched the Southern California preacher into national prominence.
