"Nothing to Lose" sets new world record for sales and attendance at South African launch

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The Portuguese version of the book "Nada a Perder" has been released in 36 centres (29 cities in Brazil and in Bogota, Caracas, Columbia, Venezuela, Spain, Portugal and Mexico City), but the number of sales of the English edition in South Africa set a new world record surpassing sales at global launches and far exceeding initial sales targets of 60,000 units sold in one day.

More than 55,000 people attended the launch, held at the historically rich and powerfully poignant Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg where the co-author and Brazilian journalist, Douglas Tavolaro, signed copies of the book. This unprecedented support for a book launch is testimony to the interest in Bishop Edir Macedo's life and the history of the church which is one of the biggest faith-based organisations globally.

"Nothing to Lose", which reveals Bishop Edir Macedo's dilemmas and defining moments, is a page-turner which begins with the story of his arrest and 11 days in jail in 1992. This controversial episode in his life, when an innocent man was unjustly incarcerated, has dogged him ever since, but his honest, humble and transparent account will help to dispel the myths and silence his critics.

A cocktail function was held on Friday 25 January at the Michelangelo Hotel in Nelson Mandela Square, where representatives from local government, the National Defence Force, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, the media, captains of industry, doctors, engineers, lawyers, music artists and South African celebrities, gathered in the main conference hall to meet the publisher and co-author and celebrate the launch of the eagerly anticipated book which was the 2012 number one non-fiction best-seller in Brazil.

The following morning, buses and cars converged on the Apartheid Museum where members of the church from regions throughout Gauteng gathered to receive their book and have it signed. Besides an interest in owning a copy of this international best-seller, the volume of sales is an indicator of the renewed interest in reading which in itself is extremely encouraging.

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Independent day trippers and international visitors to the Apartheid Museum, a landmark tourist attraction which illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid, were overwhelmed by the richness and diversity of the crowd, many of whom were dressed in traditional costumes, saying this was a rare treat and a unique glimpse into the lives of ordinary and extraordinary South Africans. A Danish couple who had arrived in Johannesburg the previous morning said they were amazed by crowd's melodious singing and delighted to hear The Soweto Opera Quadro who entertained the crowd. "This is a vibrant richness we were not expecting, but which will be a treasured memory for ever," they said.

As the Apartheid Museum is a beacon of hope for a nation and an important destination for international visitors, so "Nothing to Lose" tells a life-changing, inspirational journey of one man's moments of conviction which changed his life. It offers readers the opportunity to journey with him, embrace a brighter future, personal freedom and eternal salvation.

For further information, please contact Nametso Mofokeng at the church's public relations department on 011 224 3400 or email .