August 11, 2025 Edition
Industry News

David C Cook announces Linda Howard as Executive Publisher
Christian publisher David C Cook announced today the appointment of Linda Howard as executive publisher. In this role, Howard will prioritize cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with authors, agents, and partners, and will oversee all aspects of trade book publishing, including acquisitions, editorial development, and production for the company’s growing brands, including The Action Bible and The Chosen series.
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PRH Christian creates Brand & Backlist role, adds to Marketing department
Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group continues to grow, adding Robin Bermel in the new role of Backlist & Brand Director and strengthening the marketing department with the addition of Savana Bishop as Associate Marketing Manager.
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Just Cards Direct expands to North America through exclusive partnership with Anchor
UK-based Christian publisher Just Cards Direct has officially launched in the North American market with the brand’s sole distribution and fulfillment partner in the US and Canada, Anchor Distributors.
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IPG adds four publishers to its sales & distribution programs
Independent Publishers Group (IPG) is pleased to announce the addition of four new publishers to its sales and distribution programs coming this fall.
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ECPA continues Emerging Leaders program this fall at PubU Online
ECPA members are invited to invest in the emerging talent in your company by connecting them with the training, connection, and mentorship at ECPA PubU Online this fall. Emerging Leader scholars attend the industry’s premiere virtual training event for publishing practitioners on scholarship for only $49, where they can customize their training among several tracks – Editorial, Marketing & Publicity, Rights, Sales, Production & Operations, the Children’s Book Summit, Master Classes, and more. Additionally, Emerging Leaders will be matched with an industry veteran in a role similar to their publishing interest, to connect as mentor-mentee for the coming year in 2026.

Friday deadline for Top Shelf Book Cover Award submissions
This Friday, August 15, is the deadline for online nominations for the ECPA Top Shelf Book Cover Award. Submissions are accepted in four categories (Non-Fiction, Fiction, Bibles, Children) for titles released between June 2024 and August 2025. Cost is $69 per entry or $59 per entry for 10 or more submissions.
Milestones

Ashley Opliger’s “Cradled in Hope” debuts on USA Today bestseller list
Ashley Opliger, founder of the national nonprofit Bridget’s Cradles, landed on the USA Today Bestseller list with the release of her debut book, Cradled in Hope: Trusting Jesus to Heal Your Heart as He Holds Your Baby in Heaven—A Biblical Guide for Grieving Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss (available now via Bethany House).
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Malcolm Guite signs contracts with IVP Academic
Malcolm Guite, poet, priest, and professor, has signed contracts with IVP Academic for the first three volumes in a new series tentatively titled Classic Poetry with Malcolm Guite. The first volume, tentatively titled “How to Read Poetry,” is projected to release in Fall 2028.
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BroadStreet Publishing expands popular The Chosen Series with two new titles
BroadStreet Publishing is excited to announce the release of two compelling new titles in their best-selling Chosen series: “The Chosen Devotional Book 5: To Be with Jesus” by Dallas and Amanda Jenkins with Kristen Hendricks and “The Chosen: Not My Will” by New York Times bestselling author Jerry Jenkins.
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The Training Young Hearts series releases as a box set with new Guide for Grown-ups
The Good Book Company is excited to release the Training Young Hearts series by Abbey Wedgeworth as a colorful box set, including a new Guide for Grown-ups. This box set completes the Life-the-Flap board book series collection.
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New B&H books bring biblical hope to those facing mental, emotional struggles
Themes of hope, grief and mental illness—and their intersection with the Christian life—come into focus in several fall releases from B&H Publishing Group, an imprint of Lifeway Christian Resources.
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Hodder Faith releases Brian McLaren’s “The Last Voyage”
Brian McLaren’s newest book “The Last Voyage” released from Hodder Faith on July 29. This first volume in his thrilling new trilogy explores what it means to be human and what would we choose to bring with us or leave behind, if we were to start all over again.
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Worthy Books released “Joyspan” by Dr. Kerry Burnight on August 5
Dr. Kerry Burnight—known to her many followers as "Dr. Kerry"—is sparking a revolution to make older better. In “Joyspan,” Dr. Kerry shares her popular philosophy and tools in a comprehensive resource that moves readers from fear to peaceful confidence.
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Worthy Books to release “Not That Wheel, Jesus” by Mary Katherine Backstroke
“Not That Wheel, Jesus” (Worthy Books, August 12, 2025) by the bestselling author of “Holy Hot Mess,” Mary Katherine Backstroke, is a hilarious journey from certainty to doubt and then of slowly and painfully finding her way back to a different, less defined faith.
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INDUSTRY
- Craig Springer, director of strategic initiatives for Gloo, has died
- Histria Christian Inks Partnership with Logos
- Religion Book Deals: Focus on the Family, Zondervan, Nelson, IVP, Revell, Paraclete Press
- PW: The Big Religion and Spirituality Books of Fall
- PW Picks: ‘World of Wonders: A Spirituality of Reading’ by ECPA president Jeff Crosby
- The Upper Room Celebrates 90th Anniversary in Nashville with Celebratory Liturgy & Lunch
PUBLISHING
- IPG Cuts Title, Head Counts Amid Publishing Program ‘Reboot’
- How Cuts to Library Budgets Will Impact Publishers
- News Corp Chief Stands Up for Copyright
- Publishers Join Creative Industries' Protest of Europe's AI Act Implementation
- Canadian Author Sues Four AI Companies for Copyright Infringement
- Johns Hopkins Press Plans to License Books to Train AI
- Book Publishing Sales Fell Across the Board in May
- HarperCollins Profits Rose 10% in Fiscal 2025
- Bookshop.org Reports 65% Growth, E-books Add $1 Million in Sales
- US E-book sales continue to flatline
- Amazon’s Online Sales Grow Amid AI Push
- HarperCollins Sales President Ed Spade to Depart
- AP to Slash Weekly Book Reviews
- Spotify’s ‘Audiobooks Plus,’ Tested in World Markets, Arrives in the States
- National Association of Black Bookstores Launches
- BISG Updates Guidance on Barcode Price Extensions
- How to Convey Accessibility Metadata in ONIX Ahead of Publication