August 18, 2025 Edition
Industry News
Christian Bestseller lists posted for August
ECPA has posted the Christian Bestseller lists for August 2025 in 15 book, Bible, and Spanish categories. The top selling title this month is “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young (Thomas Nelson Publishers), followed by the “KJV Standard Lesson Commentary” (David C Cook) and “Forgiving What You Can’t Forget” by Lysa TerKeurst (Thomas Nelson).
The Christy Award® finalists and winners announced online this fall
ECPA has announced the online program for The Christy Award that includes the Winners Gala for the industry’s top award for Christian fiction on November 7, featuring a slate of award-winning novelists and keynotes by Fletcher Jones Chair of Great Books at Pepperdine University, Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson and award-winning and Christy Book of the Year 2024 author, T.I. Lowe. Finalists will be announced by webinar on September 19. Watch parties in Grand Rapids and St. Louis on November 7 have been announced, and free registration for the winners and the finalist webcasts is now open.
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Bookwire to present “All About AI” to empower publishers
Bookwire announces “All About AI”, a forward-thinking virtual conference dedicated to helping publishing professionals unlock the transformative potential of artificial intelligence. The event will take place on Tuesday, September 9, at 3 PM (CET) / 9 AM (ET) and will bring together industry leaders and AI innovators to share practical strategies, case studies, and emerging opportunities for the publishing sector.
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Staff Updates
SPCK Group appoints Rio Summers as head of Marketing and Publicity
SPCK Group has appointed Rio Summers as Head of Marketing and Publicity, effective from 1st August 2025. Rio will spearhead the entire marketing strategy for SPCK Group, overseeing the marketing, publicity, and web teams across all its imprints and divisions.
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Ave Maria Press welcomes Katie Meads as new Acquisitions Editor
Ave Maria Press is thrilled to announce that Katie Meads has joined the editorial team as Acquisitions Editor. She has spent her career immersed in curating compelling narratives for both the page and the screen, having previously served as an Acquisitions Editor at HarperCollins Publishers.
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ECPA PubU Online Track Spotlight
Sessions announced for production & operations professionals
ECPA PubU Online track leader Jenn Butenschoen, Director of Production & Digital Content at Harvest House Publishers, has developed four webinars for the industry’s production & operations professions, to empower them with practical strategies for navigating today’s complex global supply chain landscape. Topics will include evolving supply chain regulations around sustainability and digital accessibility, the operational implications of global manufacturing diversification, and managing within the parameters of diverse supplier contracts and agreements—all critical for ensuring agility and compliance in both print and digital content delivery. Sessions are designed to foster resilience, innovation, and forward-thinking practices across the publishing ecosystem. The PubU Production & Operations track will gather publishing professionals in this role for online training and networking each day, November 10-14, at 12 pm (central).
Early bird registration is now open for an all access pass for webinars and networking sessions in six publishing tracks, plus master classes, and more, scheduled throughout October 31 to November 14. Learn more at ECPAPubU.org.
Milestones
Dani Pettrey reaches 1,000,000 sales milestone
Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is delighted to announce that ECPA bestselling author Dani Pettrey has reached a momentous sales milestone. Since her debut novel “Submerged” released in 2012, she has published over fifteen novels with more than one million copies sold.
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AWSA announces 2025 Golden Scroll Award winners
The Advanced Writers and Speakers Association announced the winners of the 2025 Golden Scroll Awards at the Golden Scroll Banquet, Sunday, August 10 in Duluth, Georgia.
Baker Publishing Group authors shine at AWSA’s 2025 Golden Scroll Awards
Four Baker Publishing Group authors celebrated a triumphant evening at the 2025 Golden Scroll Awards banquet sponsored by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. Revell author Lynette Eason received five honors.
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Elk Lake Publishing takes ten Golden Scroll and Christian Market Book Awards
Elk Lake Publishing took home ten Golden Scroll and Christian Market Book Awards including Pebbles Wireman’s “Finding Faith in the Storm” (Golden Scroll Memoir of the Year) and Joan C. Benson and Marjorie Wingert’s Christian Market Children’s Book of the Year, “Wonder of Life,” illustrated by Holly Pallett.
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Three Kregel titles named 2025 Golden Scroll Award winners; One wins Book of the Year
AWSA announced the winners of the 17th annual Golden Scroll Awards and the 6th annual Christian Market Book Awards. Three Kregel titles are winners, including “Sacred Refuge: Finding Unexpected Shelter in Your Crisis” by Lynne Rienstra, awarded the Golden Scroll Book of the Year.
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Product News
WaterBrook lands three-book deal with Stephanie Ike Okafor
Stephanie Ike Okafor, bestselling author of “The Power of Your Dreams,” signs a three-book deal with WaterBrook, starting with “The Power of Your Dreams Guided Journal” and “Soulution,” a book that will guide readers through understanding, healing, nourishing, and aligning the soul with God’s purpose.
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Zondervan releases "Clear Focus Bible" and "Clear Focus Bible for Kids" featuring Bionic Reading®
For anyone who struggles to focus while reading the Bible, the new Clear Focus Bible uses the award-winning Bionic Reading® typography to help readers stay engaged and absorb the information without losing focus. In a new partnership with Zondervan and Bionic Reading®, the Bible is available with the revolutionary layout for the first time with multiple versions.
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IVP Academic to release Second Edition of the “Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments”
InterVarsity Press has contracted with four New Testament scholars for the second edition of one of IVP Academic’s foundational reference books, the “Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments.” Volume editors for the new edition include Shane J. Wood, Madison N. Pierce, Dennis R. Edwards, and Michael F. Bird.
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Daniel Eng’s “The Hodder Bible Commentary: James” is out August 1
With compassion and candor, Daniel K. Eng presents a robust defense of God's goodness and righteousness shown in the epistle of James. Grappling with the trials and tests we face today, he teaches us how the teachings of James are a guide to how to live with our eyes on eternity.
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Paraclete Press to release "World of Wonders" by Jeff Crosby October 21
Why should we read? It’s a question Jeff Crosby both poses and beautifully answers through engaging personal stories, literary reflections, and spiritual insights in “World of Wonders: A Spirituality of Reading” (Paraclete Press, October 21, 2025).
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