Orange County, CA – The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) has selected FrontGate Media, one of the world’s leading Faith and Family marketing agencies, as PR agency of record.  FrontGate will be working with ECPA to provide brand strategy and communications services including Publicity, Social Media, and Grassroots Outreach for the annual THE CHRISTY AWARDS™ GALA and the launch of THE ART OF WRITING CONFERENCE.

The conference and awards program will attract aspiring and published writers, creatives and storytellers, along with publishing professionals. Writers will find encouragement, information and inspiration while Christian fiction fans and publishers will celebrate the best faith-affirming stories of the year and find new ways to elevate the genre. Registration and information for both events can be found here.

The Art of Writing Conference, held on November 8 from 1-5 pm, will be a half-day event dedicated to writers, storytellers and publishing curators.  Designed to bring together creators and curators, the conference will feature intensive seminars that celebrate the creative life, and provide practical tips for the challenges in this rapidly changing industry.  Speakers and Panelists excel in a variety of roles, and will be discussing issues including diversity in storytelling, handling discouragement, and various perspectives on living a creative life. Speakers include Andrew Peterson (musician, author and founder of The Rabbit Room), Theon Hill Ph.D.(Wheaton College), Carrie Schmidt (blogger), Cynthia Ruchti (author and agent), Beth Adams (Howard Books), Karen Watson (Tyndale House), Dan Balow (Gilead Publishing), Amy Green (Bethany House) and Chris Fabry (author and radio personality).

The Christy Award™ Gala will also take place on November 8, exactly 50 years after the novel Christy debuted at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List for Fiction in 1967. The dinner event will be hosted by Best-Selling Christian Authors Karen Kingsbury, Andrew Peterson and Chris Fabry and announce the winners of the 2017 Christy Awards in nine categories: General, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Visionary, First Novel, Young Adult and Short Form.

The Gala will also celebrate the 50th anniversary and re-release by Gilead Publishers of the groundbreaking novel Christy by Catherine Marshall and the awards’ namesake. Set in 1912, the novel shares the story of a young woman who leaves home to teach school in an impoverished community in the Smokey Mountains. Selling over 10 million copies, Christy opened doors for the genre, showcasing a need in the fiction market for stories of faith.

The Christy Award™ was established in 1999 to acknowledge the value and impact of faith-inspired storytelling in contemporary culture. Since demand for great stories of faith have been exceptionally on the rise over the past few years, both the quality and quantity of offerings released in 2017 have exceeded expectations.  As film producers in Hollywood continue to actively pursue good stories with strong faith undertones, Christian Fiction projects will only continue to grow in exposure.

“FrontGate has been a valued, long-term partner of ECPA. We have been consistently impressed with FrontGate’s track record in achieving results that really impact faith-based publishers and authors, as well as their creative approach to influencing the key audiences we want to reach for these events. FrontGate understands the big picture story of our authors’ and publishers’ stories,” said Stan Jantz, Executive Director of ECPA.

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. ECPA.org

The Christy Award™ is the foremost award honoring and promoting excellence in Christian fiction since 1999, and is named forCatherine Marshall’s novel, Christy, which has sold over 10 million copies since its publication in 1967. ECPA assumed ownership and administration of the award in 2017 to focus and grow the unique opportunity of fiction in Christian publishing. ChristyAwards.com.

About FrontGate Media:
Award-winning FrontGate Media (http://FrontGateMedia.com) is the leading marketing agency and media group specializing in the faith and family audience.  With a 16-year track record of success, the firm serves as “Your Gateway to the Christian Audience.” FrontGate’s full service agency and media group has been trusted with over 5,000 campaigns, providing Faith-based market Strategy Development, Public Relations, Media Buying, and Social Media & Marketing. FrontGate’s own Web & Events Network also provides reach to millions and millions of people each month via their sites, events and email subscribers.  Founded in 2001, FrontGate has repeatedly been honored in the Internet Advertising Competition and the WebAwards. The company plays a key role in the success of for-profit and non-profit organizations seeking the faith-based and family-friendly audiences.

Debbie Mitchell, Vice President of Operations for WaterBrook Multnomah, announces the following promotions in WaterBrook and Multnomah’s Managing and Production Editorial departments, each effective immediately.

Julia Wallace has been promoted to Executive Managing Editor. Since joining WaterBrook and Multnomah in 2002, Julia has done a phenomenal job of leading the production editorial and interior design team while keeping our production titles on schedule. In her newly expanded role, Julia will also ensure that all departments are communicating effectively with each other. She has a thorough understanding of the publishing process and will oversee our entire publishing schedule and the procedures related to it.

Karen Sherry has been promoted to Associate Director, Interiors, continuing to report to Julia Wallace. Karen celebrated her eleventh anniversary with WaterBrook and Multnomah this year. She is an exceptional graphic designer and typesetter who has designed countless titles such as Tim Tebow’sShaken, Jennie Allen’s Nothing to Prove, Liz Curtis Higgs’ 31 Verses to Write on Your Heart, and the upcoming Fall 2017 publication of The Build by Paul Teutul Jr., from the American Chopper TV series. In her newly expanded role, Karen will oversee the interior graphic design and typesetting for our publishing program.

Helen Macdonald has joined WaterBrook and Multnomah as Production Editor, reporting to Julia Wallace. Helen worked previously with WaterBrook and Multnomah as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader for several years before taking on positions at Cook Communications and NavPress where she earned a reputation as a highly sought-after copyeditor and project manager. She will be a tremendous asset to our team.

DeKalb, IL (September 18, 2017) — Reflecting its growing mission to make complex book production simple, Black Earth Group is now Book Genesis. To mark this new identity, Book Genesis has launched a new website and book production portal at https://bookgenesis.com.

“When I created Black Earth Group in 2014,” says founder and president Sean Harrison, “I wanted to serve the publishing industry using the skills and knowledge I had built up over the previous two decades doing complex product development and management, digital production, system design, and training. As I have worked closely with customers over the years, it has become clear that the publishing industry and others need a professional service dedicated to making complex book production simple. That is the genesis of Book Genesis.”

“Our name is changing,” Harrison continues, “but our excellent service will continue and expand. We look forward to having many more satisfied customers in the coming years.”

Book Genesis offers book production software and professional services including print and digital book production, product development workflow training and consulting, and software engineering. Visit https://bookgenesis.com to learn more.

Contact: Sean Harrison (sah@bookgenesis.com), 630-277-9724.

(Carol Stream, IL) — Oasis Audio and Domain Communications announce plans by Domain Communications to publish a branded line of home video products under the name, Oasis Family Media. The move builds on the company’s mission “to publish stories and content that uplifts, inspires, and encourages positive values and personal growth” and expands the company’s media publishing beyond audio books.

“The company has seen many changes over the last 25 years,” comments Dave Morris, CEO of Domain Communications. “Yet through it all, our mission has remained the same – to serve the Christian, educational, and family market place with product that has a strong Christian and family friendly focus.” Dave continues, “The Oasis brand has become recognized as the leader in inspirational and children’s audio products. This expansion into video reflects our intentional long-term growth strategy.”

Coincident to the launch of Oasis Family Media are several company changes. The parent company is being renamed Oasis Family Media LLC. Three divisions will now exist under its umbrella – Oasis Audio, publisher of inspirational audio books; Oasis Family Media, publisher of licensed and original content video; and Domain Communications, the audio recording studio and production arm of the company.

Oasis Audio Publisher Steve Smith is being promoted to head all three divisions. “I am very pleased to announce the promotion of Steve Smith to President of Oasis Family Media LLC,” says Dave. “Steve is the face of Oasis and has been instrumental in building the brand. He has also been responsible for the significant growth we have experienced as a result of his strong leadership and communications skills.” Steve will also retain the title of Publisher.

“I am also very excited that Jon Morris will be joining Oasis Family Media in the newly created position of VP of Operations,” says Dave. “Jon brings with him considerable expertise in the technical areas and organizational skills that should serve the company well.” Jon has a business finance degree from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and for the last 15 years has worked at FIS Global as a Senior Managed Account Representative. “I am delighted at the opportunity to join the Oasis team and am eager to contribute to our bright future. I believe that God has great plans in store for us and I am excited to be involved as those plans unfold,” comments Jon.

“The landscape is shifting in our industry and I see great untapped potential,” says Steve. “In my new role and with Jon joining our team, I look forward to pursuing new opportunities to expand the impact of Oasis within and beyond the audio book markets.”

Oasis Audio began in 1996 publishing inspirational and self-help audio titles. Over the years, the product selection expanded to include Bibles, non-fiction, fiction, children’s and business audio titles. Today, Oasis Audio is the largest Independent Christian and inspirational audio book publisher in the US. To learn more, visit oasisaudio.com.

Domain Communications is a Chicago area recording studio and replication business producing professional spoken word audio for nearly 50 years. To learn more, visit domaincommunications.com.