$100,000 research project yields the Word of God, created by words of the public
When B&H Publishing Group set out to create a study
Bible utilizing the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), they knew there
would be big expectations. Since it first launched in 2004, their cornerstone
HCSB translation has sold more than 6 million copies.
Now,
roughly six years, 35 scholars and tens of thousands of hours later, the HCSB
Study Bible (October 2010) is hitting the market. To create it, B&H brought on the
research team that works with America’s household names—Starbucks, McDonald’s
and Bridgestone Firestone—and now the best-selling book in history, the Bible.
To
help identify the most important elements for the study Bible layout, Prince
Market Research approached an equal number of “study Bible users” and
”non-study Bible users” via online surveys, focus groups in four key Bible
markets, and individual survey mailings. Their findings steered the design
process, which included a more manageable size, a two-column format, fewer
photos, color references placed in between the two columns, and a more readable
nine-point font.
Touting
the consumer input they invested in the project, B&H is currently promoting
the HCSB Study Bible with the
tagline: “You asked for it, we listened. The Bible people want is the Bible we
built.”
How
does the HCSB Study Bible stack up to
other study Bibles? It is
more compact in size at 2,100 pages because focus groups stressed quality, not
quantity. The scholars, contributors and editors focused on what users said
mattered most: practical word studies; charts, maps, illustrations and timelines
that contribute to the understanding of a passage, rather than interfering with
the text or reading itself.
Digital
versions of the HCSB Study Bible
are available five ways: a digital study
Bible; a digital reference Bible; digital text-only; HSCB Study Bible app for iPhone and iPad; and for four months, a
free HSCB translation app at YouVersion.com for smart phones. In
addition, at the beta website mystudyBible.com, readers have access to
the complete commentary notes as well as the text of the HCSB Study Bible.
“The HCSB Study Bible is the first
product in the history of our company that will be releasing with a full- scale
launch on all print and digital fronts, and it is very fitting that it would be
for our flagship HCSB Study Bible,”
says Digital Executive Editor Paul Mikos.
ABOUT THE HCSB
TRANSLATION
The HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) is the result of
a 20-year project to develop a faithful, all new translation from the original
texts. The HCSB is
translated directly from the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. Many popular versions are actually revisions of earlier
translations, while the HCSB is one of the few entirely original translations
in recent years. Every word choice is based on the disciplined, up-to-date
scholarship of a team of cross-denominational men and women who had at their
disposal a wealth of current research and new information technologies.
Everything from style to format to word choice were considered to create what
B&H Publishing Group believes is a translation that contributes to a better
understanding of God and His word. B&H is America’s oldest Bible publisher.
To receive a review copy or to
set up an interview, contact Stephanie Ridge: [email protected] or 512-501-4399 x703.
Cheri Fuller and Cindy Lamb Curry 
Marilyn Hickey 
