WND Books is now a decade old, and its grateful reading public and satisfied authors are joining the celebration.
It's no secret among conservative writers that dwindling publishing house platforms are the reality. That makes Joseph and Elizabeth Farah's decision to jump into the book publishing game all the more prescient.
"In 2002 Michael Hyatt of Thomas Nelson called me with an idea," Joseph Farah remembers. "He had been looking for someone to help him create an imprint for current events and political titles. Since he read WND every day, or WorldNetDaily, as it was known then, it hit him that we had the unique perspective he was looking for – with an activist Christian worldview. Within a few months we created WND Books, and shortly thereafter, we were stunning the publishing world with a track record of New York Times bestsellers."
It didn't take long to attract heavyweight commentators who utilize various media to get their messages out.
"One of our first signs was Michael Savage, who had not previously written any political books," says Farah. "Under the WND Books' label, he had three consecutive No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. It was hard not to notice what this little imprint was doing. Soon, every major publishing company in America had an imprint competing head-to-head with WND Books."
Farah has also benefited from experiencing the publishing business from both sides of the desk.
"As an author, I can tell you this opened up tremendous opportunities for writers who were having a tough time getting published or getting the contracts they expected," says Farah. "It had a revolutionary impact on the business – and on the free exchange of ideas in the marketplace. Many times my book proposals had been rejected over the years with letters like this: 'We know this book is going to be a big seller, but we just don't like your ideas.' After WND Books entered the marketplace, publishers could no longer afford to make those decisions. If they did, their competitors would eat them alive."
After the initial success, and as the company matured, WND Books went through several changes and partnerships until the Farahs decided to create a subsidiary company, to operate under the then-WorldNetDaily umbrella. Now with nearly 100 titles in print, the company boasts the highest percentage of New York Times bestsellers of any publisher in America.
In all that time, Farah says WND Books has maintained a tight focus: To produce the best in current events titles, classic book reprints and edgy Christian works.
The secret was "giving it time," Farah says.
"We noticed that the Christian publishing world, including even our old partner Thomas Nelson, were less than enthusiastic about publishing edgy, controversial Christian books," Farah says. "So that was our second breakthrough – and the way we have formed relationships with some of the bestselling Christian authors in the world, from Josh McDowell to Hal Lindsey to Ray Comfort and Ted Baehr."
The company's stable of authors realizes the publisher's independent style is a boon to their work, as well. The hugely popular Jerome Corsi is among them:
"Joseph and Elizabeth Farah have charged WND books to pursue the truth relentlessly, with great courage," Corsi says. "Even more important, WND stands behind their books and authors. No amount of criticism from a leftist political mainstream media will persuade WND Books to withdraw or abandon a book that delivers the truth, regardless how unpopular that truth may be. This is hugely important to an author like me. I expect everything I write will be subject to derision and ridicule by those seeking to hide behind a lie I am determined to expose. WND books lives what it professes to be – a beacon of light illuminating a world of darkness."
Corsi titles like "Where's the Birth Certificate?" have kept a political fire burning under politicians who otherwise keep scandal far from the public eye.
Christian ministry heads also sing the publisher's praises. Well-known apologetics teacher Dave Sterrett learned firsthand the importance of having a fearless publishing team only a few years ago.
"In 2009, when many publishers and agents weren't too excited about taking on a book that critiqued Oprah Winfrey's spiritual teaching, I'm very thankful that WND Books believed in our book! Not only did WND believe in our book, they also invested in it and promoted it. The book took off and Josh [McDowell] and I did dozens of interviews. Our book, "'O' God: A Dialogue on Truth and Oprah's Spirituality" was cited in CNN, USA Today, The Christian Post, CBN and a host of others. I'm very thankful for WND Books."
Ray Comfort has had a similar experience, with titles like "Hitler, God, and the Bible" and "You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, But You Can't Make Him Think."
"Joseph and Elizabeth Farah are good friends who enthusiastically believe in the causes for which I write," Comfort says. "That's the first plus in publishing with them. The second is that the WND news outlet is so well-read, it gives anything they publish an immediate leg up into a very commutative market."
WND Books has also published a surprising number of books by members of Congress and other celebrities, including Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Fla., Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., National Rifle Association leader Wayne LaPierre and Fox News star Andrew Napolitano.
With millions of books in print, and at least 15 bestselling titles among them, WND Books' staff is eager to continue this amazing success story, realizing the future is bright for informative books detailing critical issues for every American.