March 29, 2021 Edition

ECPA streamlines Leadership Summit schedule and extends early bird deadline

ECPA has just announced that it will streamline the schedule for its upcoming online Leadership Summit. Sessions will be held Tuesday-Thursday on April 27-29 and May 4-6.  In the first week, programming will run from 10 am to 12 pm (central).  In the second week, two segments will be held daily at 10 am and 1 pm central.

The program will feature more than 15 webinars and roundtables, conducted by thought leaders and experts on issues specifically affecting Christian publishers.  Speakers during Practicum week include NPD’s Kristen McLean on a deep dive into the opportunities of the Christian market; HCCP’s VP of digital marketing and analytics Jerri Helms and Minno CEO Erick Goss in a session on growing online sales channels; with Book Manufacturer’s Institute’s Matt Baehr and General Manager of Lifeway India Ashish Thomas finishing the first week with a global report on printing and distribution.  On May 4-5, presenters include author Tod Bolsinger (Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change), David French (The Dispatch), Timothy Dalrymple (Christianity Today), Michael Pietsch (CEO, Hachette Book Group), Daisy Hutton (Hachette Nashville), Madeline McIntosh (CEO, Penguin Random House), Tina Constable, (Waterbrook & Multnomah), Walter Kim (NAE), Thom Rainer (The Post Quarantine Church), and Nicole Martin (American Bible Society).  On May 6, the conference will conclude with a Town Hall led by the ECPA board, and the annual ECPA Awards Celebration featuring Max Lucado.

The early bird deadline has been extended to April 9.
ECPA members and their management teams are invited to REGISTER soon!

ECPA bestows Diamond Award to Barbour title for 10 million sold

ECPA has presented Barbour Publishing with a DIAMOND AWARD for The Bible Promise Book to honor its sales milestone of over 10 million sold.  The Bible Promise Book is a modern day classic, offered in multiple Bible translations and formats, featuring over one thousand promises from the Bible, arranged by topic.

Milestone awards presented in the last year will be honored at the upcoming ECPA Awards Celebration.  The deadline for recognition is April 16.  More

Gold and Bronze Sales Awards presented to Harvest House Publisher titles

ECPA presented Harvest House Publishers with GOLD and BRONZE Milestone Sales Awards to honor the sales achievements of the following titles.  The Gold Award honors titles exceeding 500,000 in sales.  The Bronze Award is given to those books meeting 100,000 in sales.

• Gettin’ Old Ain’t for Wimps
  by Karen O’Conner | GOLD
• World’s Greatest Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids
  by Bob Phillips | GOLD
• A Book of Prayers for Couples
  by Stormie Omartian | BRONZE
• The Power of a Praying Mom
  by Stormie Omartian | BRONZE
• The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional
  by Stormie Omartian | BRONZE
• We Will Not Be Silenced
  by Erwin W. Lutzer | BRONZE
• The Power of God’s Names
  by Tony Evans | BRONZE
• Praying Through the Names of God
  by Tony Evans | BRONZE

Bible translators launch campaign to provide Scripture access to every language by 2033

The largest Bible translation campaign to ever be introduced on social and digital media will launch Wednesday, March 24 — just in time for Easter — helping make Scripture available in every language in the next 12 years.

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Karen Kingsbury announces an intensive for aspiring authors

Bestselling novelist Karen Kingsbury has launched a website inviting would-be authors to register for Believe, a three-day writing intensive course where she promises “to teach future authors and dreamers everything I know about writing fiction,” she told PW. It will feature lectures by her and associates, with Kingsbury meeting with small groups to discuss their individual efforts.

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Bible Gateway interviews Jodie Berndt, author of “Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens”

How can parents’ prayers be their greatest asset and source of wisdom in raising teenagers in today’s world; especially when teens are confronted with such daunting issues as pornography, addiction, self-harm anxiety, rebellion, technology use, dealing with disappointment, and more? It’s never been tougher to be a teen—or the parent of one. How can the Bible be your source for prayers to powerfully influence your teen’s life? Bible Gateway interviewed Jodie Berndt (@jodieberndt), author of “Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens: Opening the Door for God’s Provision in their Lives” (Zondervan, 2021).

Read this interview.