Rethinking what is Possible in Scripture Publishing for Smaller Language Communities

Specialty Bibles with advanced formatting and study content are usually only available in major languages, due to the high cost and effort required to prepare, format, and print them. This means that smaller language communities, who could greatly benefit from the additional study content, can rarely afford to produce Study Bibles, Greek Interlinear New Testaments, Children's Bibles, or other themed Bibles with print runs of less than 10,000 copies. Unfortunately, these communities have little exposure to additional biblical research and study content in a language they understand.

However, recent technological advancements now allow the translation community to produce specialty Bibles in small quantities. Imagine producing just fifty copies of a special Strong's reference Bible for local pastors, giving them access to original language definitions as they share the Word with their congregants. This means that smaller language communities can now plan to access some of the wealth of study content and advanced formatting that has been available to major language communities for many years.

This paper examines creative Scripture publications produced during a 9-day publishing workshop in Germany. After being submitted, a printing service printed, bound, and returned them before the workshop's end. Some of the publications included diglots and reference materials, and all of them experimented with short-run color Scripture printing. We will delve into the details of these projects and explore the new horizons in Scripture publishing that this technology has unlocked for Bible translators.