April 10, 2017 Edition

S&S relocates Howard Books; staff lose positions

From Publishers Weekly: S&S has moved Christian imprint Howard Books from Nashville to its corporate headquarters in New York City. The move, which will see Howard’s publishing, marketing and publicity efforts relocated to S&S’s Rockefeller Center office, results in the departure of Howard’s v-p and publisher Jonathan Merkh. In an internal memo Atria president and publisher Judith Curr sent to staff on Friday, it was explained that Howard’s editors will remain where they have been based, with senior editor Philis Boultinghouse staying in Nashville, and senior editor Beth Adams staying in New York City. Both will now report to Atria v-p and editor-in-chief Peter Borland. “There were a few reasons for moving to New York but I think it was mostly just streamlining the company, bringing Howard more firmly under Atria Publishing Group,” said Adams. “Not much will change for titles—we will build what we have. We are still acquiring titles and growing our list, and we will be bringing on staff.” Howard Books became part of the Atria Publishing Group in 2012; Curr said the move, which comes on the heels of editors Jennifer Smith and Lisa Stilwell leaving, offers “the opportunity to integrate Howard even more closely with their Atria colleagues.” Curr noted that Merkh, who joined Howard in 2009, was key in “positioning the imprint to serve both the Christian marketplace and a more general audience of readers.” According to Adams, five or six Howard staff members based in Nashville office are also losing their jobs.

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April Christian Bestsellers signal Spring titles

Spring is definitely in the air as ECPA rolls out the Christian Bestseller Lists for April.  In the Top 25 Juvenile list, Easter is the focal point. God Gave Us Easter by Lisa Tawn Bergren (WaterBrook) comes in at #1, with The Story of Easter by Patricia A. Ping (WorthyKids/Ideals) following at #2. Two more Easter titles, both from WorthyKids/Ideals, and two perennial bestselling children’s Bibles, The Jesus Storybook Bible and The Beginner’s Bible both ZonderKidz), also made the Top 10 in Juvenile books.  In the Top 50 overall it’s The Shack by William Paul Young (Windblown Media) that continues to dominate, occupying the top two spots and #6. Clearly the movie has had an enormous effect on book sales since it’s release on March 3.

View all of April’s bestselling Christian titles

Spread the news about the transforming power of Christian books by joining the industry’s annual “Social Media Blitz”

On May 2^nd, a “Thunderclap” will hit social media to announce the Christian Book Award® winners and help launch a viral campaign to #ReadGoodBooks that #FeedYourSoul.  Through a quick sign-up, participants allow Thunderclap to send a one-time-only post to their followers the evening of May 2nd when the Christian Book Award® winners will be announced. Anyone with a Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr account can join the one-time campaign at http://thndr.me/4s7CYp.

Celebrate Christian books and sign-up!

Christian Book Award finalists and winners receive national attention

The Christian Book Award® finalists were just announced last week and winners in each category, plus the 2017 Christian Book of the Year®, will be named May 2^nd at the ECPA Awards Celebration held during the ECPA Leadership Summit in Colorado Springs. Christian Book Award finalists and winners will be promoted through multiple retail and media outlets including media sponsor Christianity Today and the following retailers:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBook .com, Covenant Group, LifeWay Christian Stores, Parable Christian Stores, and the Signature Marketing Network.

• ChristianBookAwards.com
• 2017 Finalists in 11 categories
• Join the annual social media campaign #ReadGoodBooks
• Attend the ECPA Leadership Summit with Awards Celebration
• Attend ECPA Awards Celebration (if not registered for Leadership Summit)

Over 110 industry leaders already registered to network and discuss future leaders and readers in Christian publishing

There’s still time to register for the ECPA Leadership Summit, where relationships begin and continue among leadership teams in Christian publishing, while learning from world-class experts speaking on current issues and trends important to the industry.  Topics include:  Future leaders & readers in Higher Ed; New paths to leadership and diversity; Bible engagement; Current industry data and opportunities; Efficiencies in discovery and workflow; Christian retail; the new Christian family; Childrens/YA; and more!

Register  |  Schedule of Sessions  |  Speakers

Gold Awards given to three titles exceeding 500,000 in sales

ECPA congratulates the following titles for recently receiving the industry’s GOLD AWARD for exceeding 500,000 in sales:

The Complete Guide to the Bible, Stephen M. Miller (Barbour)

Uninvited, Lysa TerKeurst (Thomas Nelson)

Do Hard Things, Alex Harris and Brett Harris (Multnomah)

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Bible Gateway interviews Glenn Paauw on "Saving the Bible from Ourselves"

In the second episode in Bible Gateway’s “Feasting on the Scriptures” discussion series on Facebook Live, Glenn Paauw of the Institute for Bible Reading and author of Saving the Bible from Ourselves: Learning to Read & Live the Bible Well (InterVarsity Press, 2016), explains why it’s helpful to approach the Bible as one narrative, rather than individual stories.

Watch this interview.

Bible Gateway interviews Lisa-Jo Baker on "Never Unfriended: The Secret to Finding and Keeping Lasting Friendships"

In a world where women can unfriend each other with the swipe of a finger, how do we find friendships that we can trust to last? What does the Bible say about the fear of feeling awkward and being rejected, left out, or hurt (again) that often keeps women from connecting in lasting friendships with each other? Bible Gateway interviewed Lisa-Jo Baker (@lisajobaker) about her book, Never Unfriended: The Secret to Finding and Keeping Lasting Friendships (B&H Books, 2017).

Read this interview.

Bible Gateway interviews Kevin Sorbo, voice actor for "Breathe Bible Audio New Testament"

The Breathe Bible Audio New Testament is a vivid listening experience that transports you into the world of the Bible. Performed using the New Living Translation (NLT) by a cast of internationally acclaimed film, television, and recording artists, this captivating multi-million-dollar audio production features cinema-quality sound with an original music score. Created by an award-winning team, this dramatic production features a cast of leading Hollywood entertainers, including Kevin Sorbo (Voice of God), Josh Lucas (Jesus), John Rhys-Davies (narrator), Ashley Judd (Mary Magdalene), Jesse McCartney (Matthew), Hill Harper (Mark), Corbin Bleu (John), Christian Stolte (Luke), Marshall Allman (John the Baptist), Wintley Phipps (Peter), and Bailee Madison (Young Mary Mother of Jesus), 600 supporting actors, a full-orchestral score, and cutting-edge sound design. Bible Gateway interviewed Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) about the Breathe Bible Audio New Testament (Tyndale House, 2017).

Read this interview.