The pandemic had a profound impact on publishing ministries in Latin America, as direct distribution was extremely limited and in most parts of the continent there were no online distribution services like Amazon. There have been other changes during this time, such as the decision by many book publishers to move away from the annual EXPOLIT event, that had for years been the key meeting point for publishers and distributors in the Spanish language world.

From this year the Spanish Evangelical Publishers Association (SEPA), which links the publishers based in the USA, is organizing more specialized book fairs, open to publishers and distributors, but not the general public. For Letra Viva this is a positive move, but there are still many uncertainties, in particular because it is more difficult for smaller publishers to take part. The first of these SEPA Encounters will take place from 19–21 April in Miami. Please pray for plans for this event, and for improvements in the distribution of good books, including the CBC Commentary. Please pray too for the two participating groups from Argentina —Publicaciones Alianza and Certeza Argentina— as there is news of another huge leap in inflation there, causing financial problems.

by Ian Darke

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash