May 4, 2020 Edition
Industry News
ECPA webcast unites global publishers
Thanks to the initiative of Chris Johnsen (Christian Art South Africa), Mark Taylor (Tyndale House Publishers), and Dwight Baker (Baker Publishing Group), ECPA hosted a live global prayer webcast on April 30 that was viewed on Zoom by 127 publishers, distributors, and retailers from 25 countries.
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Christian Book Awards® winners webcast airs tomorrow
The winners of the Christian Book Awards will be announced by webcast tomorrow, May 5 at 1 pm central time. From a pool of 65 finalists, winners will be announced in 12 categories along with the 2020 Christian Book of the Year®. The webcast will feature Pinnacle Award recipient and bestselling author of The Power of a Praying® series, STORMIE OMARTIAN, who will deliver a special prayer for our industry in this time of crisis. The webcast is free but registration is required. Link instructions for the Microsoft Teams webinar (powered by The knk Group) will be provided to registrants tomorrow morning.
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Christian Book Award® finalists enjoy broad retail support
In spite of a challenging season for booksellers due to the global pandemic, ECPA reports that a record number of industry retailers reacted quickly in promoting the 65 finalists of the Christian Book Award® program. In addition, Christianity Today is providing digital and print ads to the program, including eblasts highlighting the finalists and the winners. ECPA, on behalf of the finalist publishers and authors, are grateful to the following retailers for their support (their finalist page is linked below):
UMPH plans staff reductions
The United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) reported today that a combination of pre-COVID-19 trends, the impact of the pandemic on church attendance since mid-March, and the unpredictable rates at which congregations will return to regular activities for the remainder of 2020, will result in sales levels that are 40% to 50% lower than the same period last year.
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LifeWay cutting staff, expenses due to COVID-19 impact on sales
LifeWay Christian Resources is implementing a series of budgetary freezes, cutbacks and staff reductions in response to the economic crisis resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. LifeWay CEO Ben Mandrell cited a steep and steady decline of sales since mid-March, as well as uncertainty in the ability to host camps and events this summer as reasons for the actions LifeWay is taking.
ECPA Member Meeting and Town Hall webcast scheduled for Wednesday
The annual ECPA Member Meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 6 from 11 am to 12 pm central time and will be conducted as a webinar and town hall discussion. The 2020-2021 board will be introduced, along with new members, and committee reports. Following, a town hall discussion will take place. Registration is open to ECPA members only.
ECPA to launch free Virtual Summit Series on May 14 for members
Beginning on May 14, ECPA will be launching the Virtual Summit Series, a weekly webcast featuring conversations with publishing experts on trends and best practices in the wake of COVID-19. Hosted by ECPA president Stan Jantz, these one-hour interactive webcasts are designed to share knowledge and information for the industry as we emerge from the current crisis and anticipate a future that is unlike anything we could have imagined just two months ago. ECPA has changed the time of the webinars to 10-11 am central in order to accommodate international member time zones. The first webinar on May 14 will feature NPD's Kristen McLean. The registration link will be sent to ECPA members this week.
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Christian journalists get professional development during pandemic through MTI
The world is changing but the need for the message of Christ is not. Magazine Training International (MTI) is dedicated to helping Christians in publishing as they navigate the perils of publishing during lock-downs, meeting the needs of their readers, and supporting their staff.
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IPG adds five publishers to distribution programs
Independent Publishers Group (IPG) has added five new publishers to its general and Spanish distribution programs.
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Milestones
Educator’s video reading of Karen Kingsbury book for Class of 2020 reaches 2.7 million views
When Jessica Hundley decided this past weekend to film herself reading Karen Kingsbury’s "Let Me Hold You Longer" (Tyndale House Publishers, 2004) to the class of 2020, she couldn’t have imagined what would follow. Hundley, a library media specialist at Hardin County schools in Elizabethtown, KY, read the highly emotive book in an equally poignant way, and it resonated with viewers to the tune of 1.5 million views in the first 48 hours.
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Best-selling Francine Rivers novel set for big screen adaptation with D.J. Caruso directing
REDEEMING LOVE, a big screen adaptation of Francine Rivers’ best-selling novel, has been announced as a theatrical release nationwide for spring 2021. Directed by D.J. Caruso (xXx: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE), the film boasts an ensemble cast of Abigail Cowen (FATE: THE WINX SAGA, I STILL BELIEVE, SABRINA), Tom Lewis (GENTLEMAN JACK), Logan Marshall Green(UPGRADE, SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING), Famke Janssen (X-MEN, TAKEN), Nina Dobrev (xXx: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE, VAMPIRE DIARIES) and Eric Dane (GREY’S ANATOMY, THE LAST SHIP, X-MEN).
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Maggie Wallem Rowe’s “This Life We Share” is Barnes & Noble bestseller
Debut author Maggie Wallem Rowe’s “This Life We Share: 52 Reflections on Journeying Well with God and Others” releases May 5 from NavPress and it is already resonating with readers as it debuted on the Barnes & Noble bestsellers list at No. 59 among all books on Friday, May 1.
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Tyndale author Chris Fabry inducted into Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications Hall of Fame
Tyndale House Publishers is pleased to announce that Chris Fabry, five-time Christy Award–winning author and 2018 inductee to the Christy Award Hall of Fame, was inducted into the Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications Hall of Fame.
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Product News
IVP to serve as official publisher of First Nations Version of the New Testament
InterVarsity Press is pleased to announce that they will be partnering with Rain Ministries to serve as the official publisher of First Nations Version of the full New Testament, which is scheduled to release in 2021. The First Nations Version of the New Testament is a new translation, attempting to capture the simplicity, clarity, and beauty of our Native storytellers in English, while remaining faithful to the original language of the New Testament.
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Viral sensation Mary Katherine Backstrom’s “Holy Hot Mess” heads to Hachette Nashville
Daisy Hutton and Karen Longino at Hachette Nashville acquired North American rights to Mary Katherine (MK) Backstrom’s nonfiction work “Holy Hot Mess,” in an exclusive submission.
Read More...Other News
- National Day of Prayer is May 7, 2020
- Print Unit Sales Rose 10.1% Last Week: religious segment posts 54.4% increase
- In Q1, Sales Rose 26% at Amazon as It Works to Improve Shipping Times
- After Loss on Appeal, Canadian Publishers Say Copyright System Is Broken
- Harlequin Introduces Larger Mass Market Paperback
- Bertelsmann First Quarter Sales Fell
- A Bookstore Just Shocked Fans and Boosted Sales 200% With Its Brilliant Quarantine Pivot
- Children's Bookselling in the Age of Covid-19: Shipping Tips, Book Boxes, and Giving Back
- We Need Diverse Books sponsor COVID-19 Emergency Grants
- The UK Scraps Its 20-Percent VAT on Digital Books
- What Publishers Need to Know About Gen Z
- CIVIC Science webinar on May 7: Deconstructing Consumer Emotions in a COVID-19 World (And Beyond)
- From ‘officles’ to giant sneeze guards: How COVID-19 will change your open office
