September 19, 2022 Edition

Publishing industry sales rose by $3 billion in 2021: Religious publishing rose 12.9%

PW — Final sales numbers for 2021 from the Association of American Publishers show a 12.3% increase in industry sales, with total sales hitting $29.33 billion, up from $26.1 billion in 2020, and marked improvement from the previous four years.  Sales of religious presses rose 12.9% last year, to $1.42 billion. It was the first increase since 2018.

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First 100 to register for Christy events, entered to win a set of Jan Karon novels

The first 100 registered for The Christy Award® events held November 17 in Nashville, will be entered to win a full set of The Mitford Series novels by the Christy Gala’s honoree, Jan Karon. The set will include a signed copy of At Home In Mitford.  Publishers and writers of Christian fiction are invited to attend the Christy Award Dinner Gala and preceding afternoon conference, the Art of Writing, on November 17th — following ECPA PubU at Lipscomb University in Nashville.

Register for Christy Award Gala and Art of Writing
Finalists announced by live webinar on Oct. 11 >> sign up

ECPA PubU offers programming for design professionals, Nov. 16-17 in Nashville

Faceout Studio’s Torrey Sharp has curated six sessions for industry design professionals, presented Nov. 16-17 at Lipscomb University in Nashville.  They include:  Books as Brands with Matt Lehman (Matt Lehman Studios); Design Huddle on Big Topics with Kristen Andrews (Hachette) and Torrey Sharp; Perfectly Pitched with Ashley Spear and Victor Huckabee (5by5); What Makes Type Driven Designs Effective with Chandler Saunders (Passion); Practical Creativity & Other Oxymorons with Tim Green (Faceout); Finding Common Ground Across Generational Gaps with Jose & Nikolle Reyes (Metaleap).

PubU will also include the 10th anniversary celebration of the Top Shelf Book Cover Award program, with the winners announced in four categories during the opening session.

Other sessions will be offered in these tracks:  Marketing, Editorial, Production & Ops, plus a Children’s Book Summit.
Register soon: Early bird rate expires September 30.

Jonathan Cahn's new book, 'The Return of the Gods,' hits #2 on NYT bestseller list

Since the books’ release on September 6, 2022, “The Return of the Gods” (Frontline) is already number two on the New York Times Bestsellers List — Cahn’s highest ranking ever — with more and more fans clamoring to get their hands on the book.

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Advocate and Zondervan author Joni Eareckson Tada on SHE with Jordan Lee Dooley

Founder of Joni and Friends International Disability Center, Joni Eareckson Tada, recently joined the SHE with Jordan Lee Dooley to discuss how to find hope and faith after tragedy. Tada’s beloved autobiography, Joni: An Unforgettable Story (Zondervan), 45th anniversary edition released in November 2021 includes updated photos, as well as an all-new afterword.

Voice actor and Tyndale author Jodi Benson is on Jesus Calling Podcast

Jodi Benson is best known as the voice actor of Ariel in The Little Mermaid. She recently joined The Jesus Calling Podcast to share that has had the honor and privilege of creating a character that has been known by several generations of parents and children. Benson’s book, “Part of My World,” is available from Tyndale Momentum.

CEO of Ancestry.com Deb Liu on Jesus Calling Podcast

Deb Liu recently joined The Jesus Calling Podcast to share how she stayed mindful of how to build community connections, learned at church, all throughout her career at places like Facebook and eBay and at her current position as the CEO of Ancestry.com. Liu’s book, “Take Back Your Power,” is available from Zondervan.

Jeff Henderson, FOR Company Founder featured on Cary Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast

The author of What To Do Next (Zondervan) returned to Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast to discuss career indecision, how to know when it’s time to leave, finishing well, and why security and identity hold a lot of people back from making a great career move.