When was Destiny Image started, and was there a particular title that launched the press?
Don Nori Sr. and his wife Cathy founded Destiny Image in 1983. They began the business from a small desk and rotary phone in the living room of their home. Don Sr. had a vision from God that he was to publish books for authors that other publishers would not carry. He was lead to publish Black authors, Charismatic authors, and Female authors that had positions of authority in their church. In 1993, the first million copy best-seller for the company launched Destiny Image to the next level. This work was Woman Thou Art Loosed by Bishop T.D. Jakes.
Has your mission changed at all over the years? How do you select authors that fulfill your publishing mission?
It is still our mission to provide a platform for new and unknown authors. Destiny Image successfully releases over 100 new titles each year and distributes over 1.5 million books annually worldwide. To consider an author, we evaluate the message of the work first to determine if we could meet a need with it. Next, we evaluate the market to determine if we can truly help make this book a success in the markets available to it. Then, we evaluate the author to determine if the level of integrity is such that would allow us to partner together. Finally, we evaluate if the financial picture for the book makes viable sense to create income for the author, our trade partners, and our company.
How did you begin working with doctor, author, and mentor Myles Munroe?
Truly, God lead Dr. Munroe to seek a publisher and he approached us. As his first, original, publisher we both were at a building stage in our careers. We helped each other grow in visibility and success over the years. Dr. Munroe is personally responsible for some of the first international distributorships that we opened as a result of his international travels. The product line we carry for Dr. Munroe is vast. In fact, the sales of all his products with us for the past 10 years are equal to one entire years' worth of revenues for our company. This makes Dr. Munroe one of our most highly valued authors.
Are there any changes in technology that are particularly affecting Christian book publishers?
Technology is transforming how books are sold, promoted, and published! Any "driven" person can self publish an ebook and sell a few to their respective market, but it takes the powerful engine of a publisher to drive a book into every major medium of sales. Destiny Image has an extensive network of partners around the world that has been cultivated over 27 years. The success of any book depends on the network. In fact, for the first time, Amazon.com is the largest single retailer for our company in 2010. A completely technology based bookstore is our top store!
Are Destiny Image's titles available as ebooks? If not, are you planning on releasing ebooks in the future?
All new titles are going into ebook formats moving forward. In fact, every book will have a number of resources available in various formats. It is our digital goal to have every book available as large print, hard cover, ebook, audio, and video over the course of the next few years.
Is there a particular title that you are especially excited to see in large print and accessible formats?
The author Bill Johnson is exploding in popularity. His church, Bethel Church in Redding California, has a top rated weekly podcast on i-tunes. His books have been increasing in demand around the world as he travels and teaches on healing, miracles, and the supernatural.