Santa Rosa, CA.  Janet Kobobel Grant, founder and president of Books & Such Literary Management, announced Thursday that Cynthia Ruchti, well-known writer and industry expert will be joining the agency as a literary agent.

“Cynthia is such an obvious choice to excel at agenting. She has a significant network among publishing personnel through her many years serving as faculty at writers conferences; working with ECPA and CBA organizations as the professional relations liaison and past president for ACFW; as well as being a multi-published author herself,” Janet said. “And she’s personally connected to many authors, especially through her work with ACFW.”

Cynthia says she’s delighted to join the Books & Such team. “My passion for championing writers and the power of the written word—the undeniable impact of story—combined with my appreciation for the publishing industry and those who serve readers made this opportunity intriguing,” Cynthia said. “My high respect for the Books & Such Literary Management team and legacy solidified the decision. In some ways, my heart was ready before the invitation came.”

Books & Such is one of the premier agencies in the CBA market. The agency represents some of the top authors in the industry, including Julie Klassen, Robin Jones Gunn, Joanna Weaver, Rachel Held Evans, and Lauraine Snelling. Cynthia will join four other agents: Wendy Lawton, vice president; Rachel Kent, Mary Keeley, and Rachelle Gardner. Coming from a rich background in editing and publishing, Janet Grant started the agency twenty-one years ago, when few agents worked in the CBA industry. Books & Such believes in taking a long-term approach to career planning for authors and in matching the author, product and book to the perfect publisher.

“Cynthia’s ability to articulate what makes a project special and her winsome ways will serve her well. I’m thrilled to have her join the team of Books & Such agents and giddy about how fun it will be to work with her,” Grant said. Cynthia will represent both adult fiction and nonfiction, with an emphasis on nonfiction.

Contact:  Janet Kobobel Grant
(707) 538-4184  janet@booksandsuch.com  www.booksandsuch.com

Charlotte, NC, May 11, 2017—After 10 years of sponsoring the Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award, Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA) has renamed the award to Christian Indie Awards. Same great award, just a new name.

“Over the past few years, the number of books published independently in the United States has grown exponentially,” says Sarah Bolme, Director of Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA), the sponsor of the book award. “In fact, between 2010 and 2015, the number of independent or self-published books grew over 400%. This new name better reflects the increasing numbers of independently published books and authors, while continuing to promote small publishers.”

The Christian Indie Awards honor books produced by small publishers and independent authors for outstanding contribution to Christian life. Nominations are accepted in 14 categories.

Any small publisher or independently published author can nominate books for the award. Books must be published in 2016 or 2017 by a publisher or author with annual revenues of $450,000 or less. Nominated books must be Christian in nature and intended for the Christian marketplace. All nominated books must be printed in English and for sale in the United States. Nominations must be received byNovember 15, 2017.

All Christian book readers and sellers are invited to vote on the nominated titles. Voting opens at the start of February and continues through March.

Complete guidelines, eligibility, categories, and the nomination form can be found on the Christian Indie Awards website at https://www.ChristianAward.com.

About Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA)
CSPA exists to represent, promote, and strength small publishers and independent authors in the Christian marketplace. The association represents over 140 members producing materials for the Christian marketplace and is a supplier member of CBA. Christian Small Publishers Association can be found online at https://www.christianpublishers.net.

Contact:  Sarah Bolme, Christian Small Publishers Association
cspa@christianpublishers.net  704-277-7194

Outreach magazine was honored with the 2017 Award of Excellence in the Christian Ministry category by the Evangelical Press Association. In addition, the magazine won three Higher Goals Awards, including a First Place in Interview. Outreach magazine was also a Finalist for Western Publishing Association’s Maggie Awards.

Overall comments from the Judge for Award of Excellence
“Masterful magazine-making that is filled with great ideas, strong writing and engaging design. Both in terms of design and editorial content, this magazine delivers quality.”

Overall comments from the Judge for First Place in Interview
“How good was this interview? So good that I ordered the book that inspired the interview before finishing judging this entry. A powerful, data-driven look at the challenges facing the church today.”

Comments from James Long, editor
“Throughout my editorial career, I have been affiliated with the Evangelical Press Association, a group a like-minded magazine people, seeking to improve their craft even as they aspire to elevate Christ. Because of that twofold goal, recognition from EPA has always meant a great deal to me—particularly the celebration of the creative teams I have been privileged to be a part of. I’ve had the honor of working, alongside some of the best writers, editors and designers in Christian publishing, but there’s something unique happening here at Outreach magazine: This team of gifted people (a small group with a comparatively modest budget) is making an out-sized impact on church leadership across the country. And it just keeps getting better. So as we value this recognition from our peers in Christian publishing, we value even more the frequent affirmation we receive from readers—pastors and influential Christian leaders across the country.”

Comments from Tim Downs, art director and Outreach Inc. creative director
“Outreach magazine has won many awards in our 14-year history, but this one is really quite special. It affirms our direction, our message and our leadership in the Christian ministry press. I am so proud to be part of this team and a part of this magazine. Knowing the work we do here at Outreach is helping to build better Christian leaders, and ultimately shaping the church of tomorrow, brings satisfaction and purpose to my daily work like no other job I’ve known. Outreach magazine was the vehicle that  brought me to Outreach Inc., and our publishing team has been a constant source of inspiration and joy for me personally. We are thankful for the honor and recognition given to us by the EPA, and I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to work on such a vital project, with such an outstanding group of people, for the past nine and a half years.”

Ada, Mich. (May 12, 2017)—Romantic Times (RT) recently announced its 2016 Reviewers’ Choice Awards, andConspiracy of Silence by Ronie Kendig won in the Inspirational Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category. The award ceremony took place at the RT Booklovers Convention on May 4 in Atlanta. These awards honor the best romance books of the previous year, and winners are selected by over fifty reviewers from the RT staff. For a complete list of winning titles, please click here.

Conspiracy of Silence (Bethany House; ISBN 9780764217654; ebook ISBN 9781441230676; $14.99) is the action-packed first novel in The Tox Files series. Four years after a tragic mission decimated his career and his team, Cole “Tox” Russell is persona non grata to the United States. But when a dormant, centuries-old disease is unleashed, Tox is lured back into action. Partnered with FBI agent Kasey Cortes, Tox has to pull together a team to begin a globe-spanning search for answers—and a cure. As their quest leads them across continents, it becomes clear they’re not just fighting a plague—but battling against an ancient secret society whose true goals remain hidden. With time running out and opposition growing, the key to everything may rest in an antique codex, the Crown of Jerusalem—but will Tox and his team be able to trust each other enough to break this century-spanning conspiracy of silence?

Ronie Kendig is an award-winning, bestselling author who has penned over a dozen novels, including The Quiet Professionals series and the A Breed Apart series. She has won the Christy Award, the Holt Medallion, the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, the Selah Award, and the Lime Award for her suspense novels.

Bethany House has been publishing high quality books for over 50 years. Recognized as the pioneer and leader in Christian fiction, we publish over 75 new fiction and nonfiction titles annually in subjects including historical and contemporary fiction, Christian living, devotional, family resources, and theology. Our titles are frequently found on Christian bestseller lists.

Baker Publishing Group publishes high-quality writings that represent historic Christianity and serve the diverse interests and concerns of evangelical readers.

Contact: Lynnae Lubbers
(616)676-9185 x193  llubbers@bakerpublishinggroup.com

(Colorado Springs, CO) – A growing list of internationally known publishers, analysts, researchers, editors, and authors will speak at the Crisis Publishing Initiative hosted by Magazine Training International (MTI) in Hungary, Oct. 15-18, 2017. The speakers have decades of experience in the “trenches,” dealing with the refugees crisis, natural disasters, religious persecution, and war.

Some 100 Christians in publishing worldwide are expected to descend on the Hotel Lövér in Sopron, Hungary for a conference dealing with covering a wide variety of catastrophic events.

Plenary speakers include Patrick Johnstone, author, futurologist, and strategist, who will address “Turning the migrant crisis into an opportunity;” Dr. Miriam Adeney, professor at Seattle Pacific University, who will speak on “Where is God in the crisis?”; and Elizabeth Kendal, international religious liberty analyst and advocate, who will cover “Reporting on religious persecution.”

Workshop speakers include Julia Bicknell, executive editor and director of World Watch Monitor; Mindy Belz, senior editor of World Magazine; Andrew Steele, senior associate of ICMC Partners in Communication; Gary Gnidovic, designer and photographer; Tom Albinson, president of International Association for Refugees; Jeremy Weber, senior editor of Christianity Today; and Josué Guebo, a professor at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University. 
Workshop topics include the future of migration, ethical reporting on conflicts, photographing crises, safety for reporters, covering the refugee crisis, understanding the Middle East, global trends in religious liberty, harnessing social media and video, and much more.

In addition to the plenaries and workshops, publishers will share their experiences in publishing in the midst of crisis through case studies and testimonials. Turkish publisher Gökhan Talas will deliver a case study on publishing a Christian magazine in a Muslim majority country, and Indian publisher Joseph Benjamin will speak on publishing in the midst of communal fanaticism, Hindu nationalism, and Christian
persecution.

During the “Early Bird Special” MTI is accepting registrations at a 15% discount from the regular registration fee of $450. The early discounted registration fee is $383.50, and is available now through July 15, 2017.

Ada, Mich. (May 10, 2017)—Unscripted (Baker Books; ISBN 9780801074103; ebook ISBN 9781493406999; $24.99) by Ernie Johnson Jr. has landed on the New York TimesBest Sellers list, achieving the #9 spot on the May Sports and Fitness list in its first month of release. This ranking reflects sales during April 2017 and is based on sales from thousands of nationwide venues where general books are sold.

Unscripted has received wide recognition and media attention since its April 4, 2017, release. With one of the most recognized voices in sports broadcasting, Ernie Johnson Jr. is a tireless perfectionist when it comes to preparing and delivering his commentary. Yet he knows that some of sports’ greatest triumphs—and life’s greatest rewards—come from those unscripted moments you never anticipated.

In this heartfelt, gripping autobiography, Johnson provides a remarkably candid look at his life both on and off the screen. From his relationship with his sportscaster father to his own rise to the top of sports broadcasting, from battling cancer to raising six children with his wife—including a special needs child adopted from Romania—he has taken the important lessons he learned from his father and passed them on to his own children. This is the untold story, the one Johnson has lived after the lights are turned off and the cameras stop rolling.

Ernie Johnson Jr. is a three-time Sports Emmy Award winner and host of TNT’s Inside the NBA with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal. He is the studio host for NBA TV’s popular Fan Night and a studio host for Turner and CBS’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship coverage. He is the lead play-by-play announcer for Turner’s coverage of Major League Baseball and the PGA Championship and has also covered the National Football League, the British Open, Wimbledon, and the Olympics. In 2007, Johnson was presented with the first-ever honorary John Wooden Keys to Life Award, presented by Athletes in Action, which is awarded to individuals who exemplify Wooden’s “Seven Keys to Life,” including character, integrity, and faith. In 2015, he was recognized with a Musial Award, presented in honor of Stan Musial’s legacy by celebrating iconic “good sports” and the year’s greatest moments in sportsmanship. In 2016, his alma mater, the University of Georgia, honored him with the Grady College of Journalism John Holliman Lifetime Achievement Award as well as the Bill Hartman Award for Lifetime Achievement from the UGA Athletic Department.

Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, has a vision for building up the body of Christ through books that are relevant, intelligent, and engaging.

Baker Publishing Group publishes high-quality writings that represent historic Christianity and serve the diverse interests and concerns of evangelical readers.

Contact: Lynnae Lubbers
(616)676-9185 x193 llubbers@bakerpublishinggroup.com

Carol Stream, Ill., May 3, 2017— Tyndale author Dandi Daley Mackall received the ECPA 2017 Christian Book Award® for the best children’s book at a celebration held on May 2, 2017, during the ECPA Leadership Summit in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In the ECPA Awards Celebration,  the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) announced winners of the 2017 Christian Book Awards® in 11 categories as well as the 2017 Christian Book of the Year®. Among the winners was Tyndale’s Dandi Daley Mackall for her August 2016 children’s release, Jonah and the Fish, illustrated by Lissy Marlin.

In Jonah and the Fish, bestselling children’s author Dandi Daley Mackall has created a fresh presentation of the story of the biblical prophet Jonah, using a creative two-sided flip book. Designed to tell the same story twice from two different points of view, the book allows the reader to enjoy the story of Jonah and then literally flip the book to read the story from the perspective of the fish that swallowed him. Utilizing humor, engaging illustrations, and an innovative format, Mackall provides readers with the added bonus of two books in one.

Linda Howard, Associate Publisher of Tyndale Kids, shared, “We are excited and grateful for this award. I remember sitting in Dandi’s house dreaming about this Flipside series not that long ago. To see Jonah and the Fish receive this honor is the perfect culmination of the creativity and effort that characterizes each of Dandi’s books and all Tyndale Kids products.”

In his comments at the awards celebration, ECPA executive director Stan Jantz congratulated publishers and authors “for being the best in their category.”  He also shared, “Publishing books is a process that requires extraordinary effort and investment on the part of a team of publishing professionals. We honor tonight the quality they produce, yet we celebrate most the impact these winning titles will have on readers, the ultimate beneficiary of these outstanding books.”

The Christian Book Award® program has recognized the absolute highest quality in Christian books since 1978. Based on excellence in content, literary quality, design, and impact, the Christian Book Award® program is the oldest and among the most prestigious awards in the religious publishing industry.  ChristianBookAwards.com  @CBAwards  #ChristianBookAwards

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international nonprofit 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 their members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. ECPA.org @ECPA

Tyndale House Publishers, founded in 1962, is the world’s largest privately held Christian publisher of books, Bibles, and digital media. Tyndale has published many New York Times bestsellers. The largest portion of its profit goes to the nonprofit Tyndale House Foundation, which makes grants to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world. Tyndale was founded to publish Living Letters, which later comprised part of The Living Bible, a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible that became a global publishing phenomenon. Tyndale now publishes the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), the translation of choice for millions of people.  www.tyndale.com

Contact:  Alyssa Anderson
alyssaanderson@tyndale.com  630.784.5152

THE CHAMBERLAIN KEY Unlocks Secret Code Encrypted in the Old Testament;
Optioned by Jupiter Entertainment & Random House Studio for Major Documentary Television Series

NEW YORK (May 4, 2017)—Jupiter Entertainment and Random House Studio have jointly optioned the fascinating new non-fiction book The Chamberlain Key: Unlocking the God Code to Reveal Divine Messages Hidden in the Bible by Timothy P. Smith, published by WaterBrook, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group division of Penguin Random House, for a multi-episode history documentary series to air late fall 2017.

The Chamberlain Key tells Smith’s astounding personal story of a decades-long journey that began while unraveling a mystery surrounding his family genealogy. This private exploration led to the discovery of codes encrypted in the ancient Hebrew Bible. Smith’s findings have not only profound personal but potentially historical and religious implications. The book and the television series offer the ideal combination of history, mystery, faith and adventure.

Executive Producer David McKillop is overseeing the production for Jupiter Entertainment, Europa Entertainment and Random House Studio for the series titled “God Code,” featuring author Smith, an art and antiquities expert. He is on a hunt to discover the sacred treasure chamber and archive of the Temple of Solomon, the repository of the original Torah of Moses protected in the Ark of the Covenant. Smith is using a key code he calls “The Chamberlain Key” to unlock encrypted messages found in the ancient Hebrew text of the of Old Testament. The code, according to Smith, has already led directly to the precise locations of where sacred artifacts and information have been hidden for centuries. Now the hunt is on for the most elusive and powerful treasure the world has ever known—the Lost Word of God.

“We read The Chamberlain Key and immediately wanted to option it and turn it into a television series,” says Peter Gethers, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Random House Studio, owned by Fremantle Media N.A. “As wonderful as the book is, there is even more to explore—and television is the perfect place with which to explore it.”

“The phenomenal encrypted messages revealed in The Chamberlain Key have immediately led to so many other historical and archaeological discoveries that I’m delighted to be given the opportunity of a TV documentary series to explore and share what’s happening with the public in a format closer to real time,” says Timothy Smith. “This is not a scripted program, but a real rough and tumble quest for the world’s greatest treasure.”

The Chamberlain Key is available now at book retailers nationwide.

For additional information on The Chamberlain Key, including in-depth articles on the research process and Biblical history as well as updates on exciting new discoveries, visit www.chamberlainkey.com.

WaterBrook is an imprint of The Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.  Penguin Random House (http://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/) is the world’s most global trade book publisher. It was formed on July 1, 2013, upon the completion of an agreement between Bertelsmann and Pearson to merge their respective trade publishing companies, Random House and Penguin, with the parent companies owning 53% and 47%, respectively.  Penguin Random House comprises the adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction print and digital trade book publishing businesses of Penguin and Random House in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa, and Penguin’s trade publishing activity in Asia and Brazil; DK worldwide; and Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial’s Spanish-language companies in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, and Chile. Penguin Random House employs more than 10,000 people globally across almost 250 editorially and creatively independent imprints and publishing houses that collectively publish more than 15,000 new titles annually. Its publishing lists include more than 70 Nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of the world’s most widely read authors.

About Jupiter Entertainment:  With storytelling and innovation at the forefront, Jupiter Entertainment has produced a variety of hit primetime series and specials across a wide range of genres including explosive docusoaps like Wild West Alaska (Animal Planet), long running series like Snapped (Oxygen) and hit series like Homicide Hunter and Enquiring Minds (ID). Other recent credits include: Killer Couples, #Killerpost (Oxygen), Justice: By Any Means, Fatal Attraction (TV One) and National Enquirer Investigates (REELZ). Jupiter Entertainment’s recent partnership with Skyvision has given the company a tremendous international presence. Jupiter Entertainment currently operates offices in New York, NY and Knoxville, TN. Find out more about Jupiter Entertainment and its projects at www.jupiterent.com.

Contact: Beverly Rykerd
brykerd@penguinrandomhouse.com  (719) 268-1935