There’s no such thing as too many Bibles for Tim Wildsmith.
The colorful editions are neatly stacked on shelves in the background of his YouTube videos, where Wildsmith continues to review new editions to add to his collection. He has premium Bibles with thick paper, leather covers, and stitching; study Bibles with special commentaries and scholarly features; and even the God Bless The USA Bible released by Lee Greenwood and backed by President Donald Trump.
More of Wildsmith’s followers are loading up on new Bibles too. Last year, Wildsmith’s viewers purchased 8,000 Bibles through his affiliated links—twice as many as in 2023.
“There’s higher levels of anxiety and doubt, and so people often think, I’m going to find a Bible,” Wildsmith said. “People are looking for a sense of peace.”
The Nashville pastor and author isn’t alone in seeing a drastic increase in Bible sales. According to data from the book tracker Circana Bookscan, Bible sales increased by 22 percent in the US through the end of October 2024 compared to the year before, while total US print book sales only increased by less than 1 percent in that same time frame.
A whopping 13.7 million copies were sold in the first 10 months of the year, compared to 9.7 million sold in 2019, according to Circana Bookscan. The development has left the industry surprised, delighted, and perplexed.
For years, Christian publishers have expanded offerings for savvy Bible readers, showcasing the value of print editions as Scripture becomes more accessible in digital formats. Yet Bible makers aren’t sure what it is about this moment that is driving demand.
“We’re very aware that we’re not causing this trend,” said John Kramp, senior vice president of the Bible division at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, which includes Zondervan and Thomas Nelson. “We’ve been publishing Bibles for a long time, and what we’re experiencing now is really exceptional and encouraging. It’s across the industry.”
At Lifeway Christian Resources, the Southern Baptist publisher that prints the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), along with the King James Version (KJV) and the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Bible sales were up 30 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to Andy McLean, publisher for Bibles and reference at Lifeway.
No single Bible or translation is fueling the surge in sales. Demand has increased for pricier Bibles, Bibles for women and kids, study Bibles, and many other types, Kramp said. Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian, prints the New International Version (NIV), and another division, Thomas Nelson, prints the KJV and the New King James Version (NKJV), among others.
Amy Simpson, a publisher in the Bible division for Tyndale House Publishers, said that Tyndale has seen an increase in sales for Bibles across multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Some of the recent sales uptick comes from regular Bible readers purchasing more Bibles—wanting to add a journaling Bible, a wide-margin Bible, or a large-print Bible to their study repertoire—but Bible experts also cite a growing interest from a new group of people who are curious, anxious, and eager to learn.
“People who are not necessarily churchgoers or even professing Christians are interested in the Bible in particular as a result of their sense that contemporary society has an emptiness to it,” said J. Mark Bertrand, who runs a Bible design blog. “The ideology that has been prevalent feels like it’s teetering, and an increasing number of people are willing to say that.”
Young people, in particular, appear to be buying Bibles in greater numbers compared to other age groups. According to the American Bible Society, young adults are more likely than any other age group to say that they’ve increased their Bible reading in the past year: 21 percent of Gen Z respondents said their Bible use had increased, compared to 16 percent of Boomers and 11 percent of millennials.
“One of the things we do know from the data is that when people experience disruptions in their life, they are more open to exploring their faith and exploring the Bible,” said John Farquhar Plake, the chief innovation officer with the American Bible Society. “When people are facing something they’ve never faced before, they often ask the question ‘Does the Bible have any wisdom for me?’”
Buying a Bible in a new season or as a start to the New Year can be aspirational, as the American Bible Society has found in its research on Bible engagement: Americans are less likely to read the Bible than in past years, but most say they wish they did. “People want to think they’ve been reading the Bible more, whether or not they really have been,” the American Bible Society’s report stated.
According to its 2024 report, more than half of Americans wish they read the Bible more. Even among people who interacted with the Bible less than three times a year, more than a third said they wished they read Scripture more.
Somewhat paradoxically, the rise in sales of print Bibles comes at a time when digital access to the Bible has never been easier or more ubiquitous. With a simple tap on an iPhone or a quick Google search, anyone can scroll through the Gospel of John or follow a digital Bible-reading plan.
And yet people continue to be drawn to print versions of Scripture. Wildsmith, the Bible review YouTuber, said the demand for print Bibles may stem from people’s digital fatigue, their desire to escape the hyperconnected, scattered nature of online life.
“Everything we do is online now, and I know that I get distracted if I read the Bible on my phone,” he said. “There’s something helpful about having a physical copy of the Bible where you cannot be online. You can just be immersed in the text and the book itself.”
People are also drawn to print Bibles over digital versions because the former can be customized with beautiful, luxurious designs, Wildsmith said. He has seen an increase in demand for premium Bibles that can cost hundreds of dollars, ones with features such as higher-quality paper, goat-skin covers, raised spine hubs, and perimeter stitches.
“The Bible I’m going to put in the hands of a friend who wants to read the Bible is not a cheap paperback, glued binding,” Bertrand said. “It’s going to be an object that they won’t easily get rid of.”
Publishers agree that the trend of rising sales will likely continue in 2025. Many of them plan to launch new Bible versions this year, such as a new daily devotional Bible for moms or a color-coded study Bible that uses colors to highlight Bible verses that focus on key scriptural themes.
“We’re in a golden age of Bible publishing,” Bertrand said. “It’s never been as good as it is.”
