November 16, 2022 – Kate Rademacher and Brian Allain are delighted to announce, after considerable prayer and discernment, new ownership and leadership for these innovative businesses.  Effective January 1, 2023, Writing for Your Life and Compassionate Christianity will be owned and led by Kate Rademacher. These businesses were founded by Brian Allain, who also founded Publishing in Color and How to Heal Our Divides, and previously served as the Founding Director of the Frederick Buechner Center.

Writing for Your Life (www.writingforyourlife.com) is a resource center for spiritual writers, and includes conferences, services, and other resources that support their writing journey. Started in 2016, Writing for Your Life has held conferences online and at locations such as Drew Theological Seminary, the University of Southern California, Belmont University, Western Theological Seminary, and several churches. Conference speakers have included Barbara Brown Taylor, Rachel Held Evans, Patricia Raybon, Brian McLaren, Frank A. Thomas, John Pavlovitz, Lisa Sharon Harper, Diana Butler Bass, Sophfronia Scott, Lauren F. Winner, Philip Yancey, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Amy Julia Becker, and many others.

Compassionate Christianity (www.compassionatechristianity.org) was founded in 2019 and provides inclusive, welcoming, and affirming resources for compassionate Christians. The “Compassionate Christian Voices: Today and Tomorrow” webinar series has included voices such as Lisa Sharon Harper, Diana Butler Bass, Brian McLaren, Kelly Brown Douglas, John Pavlovitz, Frank A. Thomas, Parker Palmer, Shane Claiborne, Patricia Raybon, Kirsten Powers, Michael W. Waters, Sarah Bessey, Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, Bruce Reyes-Chow, Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, and many others.

Kate Rademacher has over twenty years of experience in nonprofit leadership, and she is the author of three books about her faith journey, Following the Red Bird: First Steps into a Life of Faith (Light Messages, 2017), Their Faces Shone: A Foster Parent’s Lessons on Loving and Letting Go (Light Messages, 2020), and Reclaiming Rest: The Promise of Sabbath, Solitude, and Stillness in a Restless World (Broadleaf Books, 2021). Kate was also a contributing author to Fostering Hope: A Prayerbook for Foster & Adoptive Families (Smyth & Helwys, 2022). Kate’s professional work in public health has focused on expanding access to health services for underserved populations both domestically and internationally. From 2017-2022, Kate served as director of a project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that aimed to increase access to long-acting contraception in sub-Saharan Africa. In recognition of her leadership in global health, Kate was selected in 2020 for the inaugural U.S. cohort of WomenLift Health. Kate is currently in discernment for potential ordination to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church, and she is serving as an intern at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Durham, NC from July-Dec 2022.

“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to build on Brian’s incredible leadership with Writing for Your Life and Compassionate Christianity,” said Kate. “These platforms are comprised of vibrant communities of writers and thought leaders around the country. I am excited to help move this work forward to expand the reach and impact of both organizations.”

“I am thrilled with Kate taking leadership of these businesses!” said Brian. “Kate’s capabilities, character, and commitment are a perfect fit for what I have tried to achieve. I know they will be in wonderful hands.”

After the ownership and leadership transitions take place, Brian will continue to be involved as an advisor. To learn more about the transition, we invite you to join us for an online event on January 11 at 8pm ET on Zoom using this link.

You can also learn more at www.writingforyourlife.com and www.compassionatechristianity.org or email: katerad@gmail.com

November 15, 2022, Dallastown, Pennsylvania — “It was forty years ago this week,” says Byron Borger co-owner with his wife Beth, of Hearts & Minds, a bookstore in Dallastown, PA, “when we opened our doors and the very first book we sold was Les Miserable by Victor Hugo.” That was before the musical, and Borger took it as a sign that their desire to sell thoughtful titles, especially intelligent faith-based books, was going to go well. They had stocked up with a full line of standard titles as well as what they considered to be the best of religious trade publishing, from the likes of Eerdmans, InterVarsity Press, Fortress, and Westminster Press. For a grand opening gift they gave out IVP’s little Your Mind Matters by John Stott and an autographed, slipcased edition of a brand new work by former President Jimmy Carter.

Byron and Beth worked for a Presbyterian Church near Pittsburgh in campus ministry in the late 1970s and came to realize how important books could be, especially for young adults searching for meaning and purpose. They bucked the growing trend of then popular rather sectarian, even insular, religious bookstores and what they call “equally limited secularized stores” and created what they came to describe as a bit of a hybrid approach. Long known in both CBA and ABA circles, the Borger’s have created a one-of-a-kind bookstore in a small town in South central PA. This black Friday (November 25th) is the start of their 40th anniversary year.“

Our region is known for tourists visiting from Gettysburg to Hershey to Amish Lancaster so we developed some mid-Atlantic notoriety and slowly build relationships with organizations running events in Baltimore, Philadelphia, DC, even New York, and doing off-site, pop-up bookstores for organizations like Washington’s C.S. Lewis Institute or the anti-poverty organization Bread for the World, or Mako Fujimura’s Christian arts gatherings in Manhattan became important to our work and expanded our footprint in the world,” Borger said. “We’ve served colleges in Boston and churches in Pittsburgh and have driven our van or rented trucks to conferences in Chicago, Orlando, Dallas.”

The more nation-wide customers came to appreciate their unique blend of conventional Christian literature and edgy, contemporary fiction and creative nonfiction, and their commitments to social justice and anti-racist work (“since the very beginning”, Borger insists) the more their off-site conferences and their mail order and website business took off, even while serving a regular local clientel. With a handful of full and part-time staff, they’ve developed a reputation in some circles as one of the more interesting bookstores in the country.

Beth and Byron roll their eyes at that, but it is true that to celebrate their 35th anniversary a festschrift was published in their honor with contributors from across the theological world, from Anglican theologian N. T Wright in the UK to ex-evangelical David Gushee in the US South to literature professors as unique as Southern Baptist Karen Swallow Prior and Roman Catholic thinker Gregory Wolfe, founder of Image Journal and indie literature publisher Slant Books. Boutique publisher Square Halo Books funded the project called A Book for Hearts & Minds: What You Should Read and Why — a Festschrift Honoring the Work of Hearts & Minds Bookstore.

Their small town location adds what Borger called a “down home touch” noting that the largest author event they’ve ever done in-store was hosting Beverly Lewis, known for her earnest Amish romance fiction. “We sell what many ordinary bookstores sell, not all high literature or deep theology, but we do have an emphasis on a wide spectrum of Christian stuff — evangelical, mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Mennonite and more,” he said. And this, too, sets Hearts & Minds apart, their principled commitment to featuring ecumenical titles. Few religious bookstores are as diverse as they are. “We’ve got something to offend everyone,” the Borger’s often quip. They have had their share of antagonists, some finding them too overtly Christian and others finding them too open-minded.

“When Covid hit we went out of our way to signal to the community that we were staying closed for the sake of the most vulnerable, those at risk, the disabled and often marginalized,” Borger reported.  Anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers were not happy with the Borger’s decision to not re-open quickly in 2022 and their commitment to public health has made them look stubborn, at best.

“Still,” Borger says, “we enter this 40th anniversary week and our next year committed to doing the right thing and serving our customers the best we can in our now-legendary backyard and curbside customer service. And we’re mailing out books more eagerly than ever! We’ve faced the era of the big chains, the onslaught of Amazon, the detriment of ebooks, and the foibles of the often-judgmental religious community, and we’re still standing. We are grateful to God and to our customers for their commitments to our efforts, unique as they may be.”

Best sellers this past month include one of Borger’s favorites, Surrender, the new memoir by Bono (“we carried their albums when we first opened in the early 80s before they had really caught on,” Borger notes) and the two new Wendell Berry books, the hefty The Need to Be Whole (on race and patriotism) and the new collection of short stories set in fictional Port Royal, How It Went. They have taken a lot of pre-orders for the forthcoming Poetry Unbound collection by Padraig O’Tuama. Beth is always pushing any number of novels — most recently Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. And Advent resources— they love serving the liturgical churches and their needs for resources throughout the seasons of the church calendar. Borger insists that one of his all time favorite books is the Eerdmans release by Episcopalian preacher Fleming Rutledge, Advent:The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ. It speaks of the sort of quiet hope that has sustained them these four decades in a changing retail environment.“

I thought about creating a book for our 40th anniversary, like 40 books in 40 years,” Borger mused, “but I couldn’t come close to telling our story in only 40 titles. There’s been 40 great books every year, and that is what keeps us going — the books and the readers, and the stories of how books transform people, places, and current events.”

heartsandmindsbooks.com/booknotes/

Christian Powerhouses Partnering on Three Book Publishing Deal

SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark., Nov. 8, 2022 — DaySpring, the world’s largest Christian-message product provider, and Pray.com, the world’s number one app for daily prayer and faith-based content, announce a new publishing partnership beginning in 2023 for three book projects.

Based on the most popular downloads within the Pray.com app, these books will feature the “best of” content which has now reached over 12-million users worldwide. Each is a collection of stories, devotions, Bible verses, and practical tools for everyday Christian living.

The first book will be released in May and is called Sleep Psalms: Nightly Moments of Mindfulness and Rest. This partnership will be an opportunity for Pray.com users to experience the content they love in a fresh new way while introducing DaySpring’s core audience to the Pray.com brand and message.

“It is my pleasure to announce our partnership with Pray.com,” said DaySpring President James Barnett. “We are grateful to be a part of a project that will inspire and cultivate the walk of Christians around the world.”

“Pray.com is expanding its original content offering into the written format. With tens of millions of streaming audio consumers, we are going to help even more people make prayer a priority through print,” Pray.com founder and CEO Steve Gatena said. “Pray.com appreciates DaySpring’s vision for this partnership and their support of our mental health and wellness initiatives, and we look forward to serving people around the world together.”

About DaySpring:  DaySpring^®, the world’s largest Christian-message product provider, was founded in 1971 with a single Christmas card. Today DaySpring offers more than 6,000 products—from greeting cards to home décor, specialty gifts to devotional books. In 1999, DaySpring was acquired by Hallmark Cards, Inc. DaySpring products are sold in Christian retail outlets, mass retail stores, card and gift shops and other outlets in the United States and 60 foreign countries. DaySpring is based in Siloam Springs, Ark., and employs a staff of more than 220 people. Visit www.dayspring.com for more information about the company, to find a local retailer, and to send a free e-card.

About Pray.com:  Pray.com helps people make prayer a priority in their life. Pray.com is the world’s #1 app for daily prayer and faith-based media content. The Pray.com app helps people improve their mental & spiritual health with daily prayers, inspirational sermons, and bedtime Bible stories. Launched in 2017 by Steve Gatena, Michael Lynn, Ryan Beck, and Matthew Potter, Pray.com is a social impact company driven by a mission to grow faith, cultivate community and leave a legacy of helping others. See more at www.alarryross.com/pray-com.

The premier provider of faith-based content for kids sets to release first 4-Episodes & Christmas Special, launches free companion app

www.gominno.com

NASHVILLE, Nov. 17, 2022 — Minno, a kids’ media company, announced today that its best-selling “Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids,” is being adapted for screen through vibrant animation. An initial four-episodes and Christmas Special for children ages 4-8+ will launch just in time for the holidays.

The “Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids” animated series invites kids on a comprehensive and fun journey through the Bible. Launching this November, the initial four-episodes and the Christmas Special will take kids and families through a whimsical retelling of the Christmas story. Into 2023, Minno will launch 20 additional episodes throughout the year, canvasing the stories of the Bible, including: the Easter Story, creation, David and Goliath, Esther, Jonah, Abraham, Paul’s travels and more.

“At Minno, we firmly believe the Bible is foundational and that kids deserve to experience the joy of its teachings in a way that engages them to want to learn more,” said Minno CEO and Co-Founder Erick Goss. “As a full breadth children’s media platform, we want kids to learn on-and-off the screen through excellent shows, fun learning activities, music, and more.”

In addition to these episodes being available on the Minno streaming platform, Minno’s “Kids Christmas Bible Stories” mobile app will be a free companion piece, featuring the “Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids” Christmas episodes. It will also feature additional handpicked Christmas shows from Minno’s catalog, and will be available beginning November 28th on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. With the busy holiday season and smart phones at the ready, the app is a fun-sized way for parents to help kids grow in understanding about the meaning of Christmas through the holiday hustle and bustle.

“We’re thrilled to bring the Bible to life through these animated shorts. Every child learns in their own unique way and at their own pace. It’s our mission to share biblical learning with kids through various mediums, meeting them right where they are at their various stages of development. The thought and intention that went into the creation of the ‘Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids’ series is a testament to that goal,” said Jess Wolstenholm, the show’s executive producer.

Minno specializes in creating content for kids and their families. Their on-and-off screen resources are full of faith-building truths, presented in a way kids can easily understand. Minno equips parents with the tools they need to help raise the next generation of believers.

For more information, visit: gominno.com

ABOUT MINNO
Minno is a kids media company that helps families experience the awesome love of Jesus through thoughtful, trustworthy, and joy-filled content.  As a helpful resource that comes alongside families, Minno creates stories and experiences that are catalysts for conversations with your kids that matter and where God’s goodness and love comes to life.  The Minno app, available on all platforms, includes more than 2,600 episodes in 125 shows, including 100 original “5 Minute Family Devotionals.”  Minno Life parent resources offer expert-written blogs, Life Guides on key topics, activity packs, and downloads.  And Minno Kids Publishing offers the fastest-selling, Christian Book Award-winning children’s Bible, the “Minno Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids.”  Learn more at www.gominno.com.

CONTACT:  Darren Brazil, 510-909-4011, Darren.Brazil@gominno.com

The Readable Bible is Scripture the way it would look if the biblical writers had been sitting in front of a computer when God spoke through them.

There hasn’t been a cover-to-cover Bible formatting update in the last one hundred years! Just think of how much differently we format today than in the 1920s. The Readable Bible is primarily a word-for-word translation that arranges the text in the easy-to-read formats of today’s books. It’s the best of both worlds: accurate yet understandable.

One day in 2008, Rod Laughlin was standing in an airport bookstore looking for a book to read. He asked himself, Why am I looking for something to read when I have a Bible in my briefcase? The answer came quickly: The Bible is hard to read. He thought, You’re a seminary graduate, a pastor, a Bible teacher! Why is it so hard to read? He walked over to the how-to book section and started browsing. Unlike the Bible, all the books presented information in formats that made it easy to understand.

On the plane, Laughlin wondered, What would the Bible look like if God spoke through Moses, David, and Paul today? After arriving home, Laughlin went through the Bible and identified over two dozen categories of information, all presented in paragraph form. Now he had a new mission—to create a new Bible version that presents the original text and uses modern formatting to make it clear and easy to grasp.

Example of Exodus 6:14–27:

The Readable Bible released on November 1, 2022, as a full Bible, in 27 books, and as a 27-book set. A limited supply of giveaway copies is available for special events and interviews. Books can also be ordered through your distributor or through www.ironstreammedia.com.

Book Rod Laughlin as a guest speaker by contacting Kim McCulla at kim.mcculla@ironstreammedia.com.

WESTMONT, IL— InterVarsity Press is pleased to congratulate its creative director, David Fassett, for his work on four designs chosen for 2022 Top Shelf Book Cover Awards by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). The Top Shelf Book Cover Awards program is managed by ECPA to recognize design excellence in the Christian publishing industry.

“David Fassett’s designs are one of the best parts of getting to work at IVP,” said Justin Paul Lawrence, divisional vice president of marketing and sales at IVP. “His consistent eye and continued excellence are amazing. Plus he’s a joy to work with and is a positive presence on my team. Very well deserved!”

Fassett joined InterVarsity Press (IVP) as a marketing designer in 2009. He was promoted to senior graphic designer in 2014, to art director in May 2017, and now serves as IVP’s creative director.

Fassett’s four award-winning cover designs in the nonfiction category include:

• A Supreme Love: The Music of Jazz and the Hope of the Gospel by William Edgar
• Enjoying the Old Testament: A Creative Guide to Encountering Scripture by Eric A. Seibert
• The Religion of American Greatness: What’s Wrong with Christian Nationalism by Paul D. Miller
• When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough: A Shooting Survivor’s Journey into the Realities of Gun Violence by Taylor S. Schumann

ECPA announced the winners of this year’s awards on Wednesday, November 16, at Lipscomb University in Nashville during the opening session of ECPA PubU. Winning book covers are featured at TopShelfAward.org.

For a complete archived list of IVP’s Top Shelf Award–winning book covers visit ivpress.com/award-winners.

Asking Better Questions of the Bible Releasing in February 2023

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (November 18, 2022) – NavPress is pleased to announce a book deal with Marty Solomon, creator and executive producer of The BEMA Podcast. Solomon’s first book, Asking Better Questions of the Bible: A Guide for the Wounded, Wary, and Longing for More, will release in February 2023.

With 5 million episode downloads and more than 96,000 engaged listeners, The BEMA Podcast is an Apple Top 30 Religion podcast that urges listeners to engage in a contextual study of Scripture. It has provided an anchor for curious Christians in an age of deconstruction. Asking Better Questions of the Bible will lead readers on a wonder-filled tour of Scripture, helping them consider the assumptions and contexts of the original writers in order to discover a more dynamic and life-giving relationship with the God who inspired the Text.

“From the first time we met Marty, we felt such a sense of shared mission: to bring Scripture to life in fresh ways and to approach discipleship with a posture of openhanded curiosity,” said David Zimmerman, Publisher, NavPress. “This book is more than just a thought exercise—it helps us rediscover what it means to be in awe of the God of the Word.”

In Asking Better Questions of the Bible, Solomon sets the stage with an examination of Eastern and Western thinking and how each gives us tools for studying the Bible. Using that framework, the book walks through each of the different genres of Scripture, introducing different lenses and questions from the original context that equip the reader to navigate the tensions of Scripture and encounter more of the mystery of God.

Marty Solomon is a theologian and the president and director of discipleship for Impact Campus Ministries (impacttheu.com). He and his wife, Rebekah, live in Cincinnati with their two children. Find out more about Marty at martysolomon.com.

Solomon is represented by Ingrid Beck of the Bindery. World rights were acquired by NavPress Senior Editor Caitlyn Carlson.

For more information or an advance reader copy of Asking Better Questions of the Bible, please contact Natalie Wierenga, nataliewierenga@tyndale.com, 630-784-5211.

NavPress is the book publishing arm of The Navigators. With a rich catalog of bestselling books, ministry resources, and The Message® Bible, NavPress supports readers as they know Christ, make Him known, and help others do the same.®  Since 2014 NavPress has been in a publishing alliance with Tyndale House Publishers, one of the largest independently owned Christian publishers in the world. NavPress resources are sold, distributed, and marketed worldwide through Tyndale House Publishers.

Contact: Natalie Wierenga, nataliewierenga@tyndale.com

November 18, 2022, WHEATON, Ill.—Crossway is excited to announce that eleven books have been named winners of the 2022 Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) Top Shelf Book Cover Awards. This year, the ECPA awarded winners in four categories: non-fiction, fiction, children’s, and Bibles.

The ESV Student Study Bible, Artist Series Hardcover, designed by artist Joshua Noom, was named a winner in the Bible category.

Two Crossway titles won in the children’s category: The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung, designed by Don Clark, and The Sower by Scott James, designed by Stephen Crotts.

Eight Crossway titles won in the non-fiction category:

• A Better Encouragement by Lindsey Carlson, designed by Crystal Courtney
• A Dozen Things God Did with Your Sin (and Three Things He’ll Never Do) by Sam Storms, designed by Spencer Fuller, Faceout Studio
• (A)Typical Woman by Abigail Dodds, designed by Lindy Martin, Faceout Studio
• Blessed by Nancy Guthrie, designed by Crystal Courtney
• Cultural Counterfeits by Jen Oshman, designed by Crystal Courtney
• Do You Believe? by Paul David Tripp, designed by Ordinary Folk
• How to Find Yourself by Brian Rosner, designed by Spencer Fuller, Faceout Studio
• Overcoming Apathy by Uche Anizor, designed by Jordan Singer

“It’s a joy to see this talented group of designers and illustrators recognized by their peers for their good work,” says Dan Farrell, Crossway’s vice president of creative. “We are grateful to ECPA for facilitating connections amongst creatives in our industry and for encouraging us all toward excellence.”

The Top Shelf Book Cover Awards were designed to celebrate the year’s best book designs in Christian publishing and celebrated their tenth anniversary this year.

Founded in 1938, Crossway is a not-for-profit global Christian publishing ministry that publishes gospel-centered, Bible-based content to honor our Savior and serve his church. Crossway seeks to help people understand the all-encompassing implications of the gospel and the truth of God’s word—for all of life, for all eternity, and for the glory of God alone. Crossway is the global publisher of the ESV® (English Standard Version®) Bible, more than 1,000 Christian books, and an extensive list of gospel literature. For additional information, visit crossway.org.

Contact: Lauren Susanto, lsusanto@crossway.org, crossway.org

Bloomington, Minn. (November 18, 2022)—Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is pleased to announce that the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association (ECPA) has selected Toni Shiloh as the winner of the inaugural Christy Amplify Award for Christian Fiction for her 2022 novel, In Search of a Prince. The award presentation took place on November 17 during the annual Christy Award Gala at ECPA’s PubU Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

In Search of a Prince by Toni Shiloh
(Bethany House; February 1, 2022; ISBN 9780764238956; Paper. $15.99)
Brielle Adebayo’s simple life unravels when she discovers she is a princess in the African kingdom of Ọlọrọ Ilé and must immediately assume her royal position. Brielle comes to love the island’s culture and studies the language with her handsome tutor. But when her political rivals force her to make a difficult choice, a wrong decision could change her life.

“I am absolutely floored and humbled to win the Amplify Award,” said Bethany House author Toni Shiloh. “When I dreamed and wrote In Search of a Prince, it was with the hope that it would give representation to the many women who dreamed of being a princess and never saw one that looked like them—and for them to ultimately realize we are beloved daughters of the King of Kings.”

Offered this year for the first time, the Christy Amplify Award for Christian Fiction is intended to elevate and recognize BIPOC stories and their authors in the Christy Award program, and to raise awareness of the Christy Award opportunity among Christian fiction authors who identify as members of an ethnic minority and have used that experience in their storytelling.

“Our judges agreed that it was hard not to be overtaken by the superb storytelling, world-building, and character development that Shiloh mastered with seemingly extraordinary ease and flow,” said program consultant and presenter of the award, Jevon Bolden. “We found it to be an outstanding representation of literary excellence and an authentic ‘own voices’ story that stood out in every way. We find it a unique privilege, as an ethnically diverse judge panel, to contribute toward a deeper read of books by BIPOC authors, and we look forward to continuing to amplify their voices and stories.”

Bethany House acquisitions editor Jessica Sharpe shared her thoughts as well: “We are so thrilled for Toni! She is such an active and supportive part of our publishing community, so for her to be the very first winner of the Amplify Award is so meaningful and well-deserved. Her heart and soul—and her books—are dedicated to amplifying not only BIPOC voices but also the Good News of the love of God. We are honored to have her as part of our publishing family.”

Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and multi-published Christian contemporary romance author. Her novel In Search of a Prince has been praised by OprahDaily.com, Popsugar, Library Journal, and Booklist, and is a Parable bestseller. Her books have been finalists for the HOLT Medallion and the Selah Award. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Toni loves connecting with readers and authors alike via social media and at ToniShiloh.com.

ECPA is the association of Christian publishers who work together to strengthen and lead the industry through connection, education, and resources. ECPA’s mission is to equip their members so they can more effectively make the Christian message widely known, and the Christy Awards were established by ECPA in 1999 to acknowledge the value and impact of the novel of faith in contemporary culture. The award is named for Catherine Marshall’s novel, Christy, which has sold over 10 million copies since its publication in 1967. Today, the Christys continue to be the foremost award honoring and promoting excellence in Christian fiction. For the complete list of this year’s winners, please visit: https://www.christyawards.com/finalists-winners.html.

Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is part of the largest independent Christian book publisher and seeks to uplift readers’ families, faith, and free time with our library of industry-leading fiction and bestselling Christ-centered nonfiction.

Contact: Anne Van Solkema, (616) 676-9185 x152, avansolkema@bakerpublishinggroup.com

Ada, Mich. (November 18, 2022)—On Thursday, November 17, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) announced the 2022 Christy Award winners at a gala held at Lipscomb University’s George Shinn Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Approximately 150 publishers, authors, and fiction fans gathered to celebrate this momentous occasion.

Six Baker Publishing Group authors were recipients of this prestigious award, including Amanda Cox, whose novel The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery (Revell; ISBN 9780800737412; ebook ISBN 9781493431830; $15.99) won both the General Fiction award and the 2022 Christy Book of the Year award. This is the first time in the Christy Award’s history that an author has won consecutive Book of the Year awards. Cox’s debut novel, The Edge of Belonging, won the First Novel award and the Book of the Year award in 2021.

Toni Shiloh’s novel In Search of a Prince (Bethany House; ISBN 9780764238956; ebook ISBN 9781493436033; $15.99) won the new Amplify Award, which was “created by publishers and agents to elevate and recognize under-represented ethnic stories of excellence, and their authors.” Program consultant Jevon Bolden, who presented the award to Shiloh, stated, “Our judges agreed that it was hard not to be overtaken by the superb storytelling, world-building, and character development that Shiloh mastered with seemingly extraordinary ease and flow. We found it to be an outstanding representation of literary excellence and an authentic ‘own voices’ story that stood out in every way. We find it a unique privilege, as an ethnically diverse judge panel, to contribute toward a deeper read of books by BIPOC authors and look forward to continuing to amplify their voices and stories.”

Additional Christy Award winners for Baker Publishing Group include:

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese (Bethany House; ISBN 9780764234965; ebook ISBN 9781493429929; $16.99)

Molly McKenzie has made social media influencing a lucrative career, but nailing a TV show means proving she’s as good in real life as she is online. So she volunteers with a youth program. Challenged at every turn by the program director, Silas, and the kids’ struggles, she’s surprised by her growing attachment. Has her perfect life been imperfectly built?

 

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HISTORICAL

Drawn by the Current by Jocelyn Green (Bethany House; ISBN 9780764233326; ebook ISBN 9781493435982; $15.99)

A birthday excursion turns deadly when the SS Eastland capsizes with insurance agent Olive Pierce and her best friend on board. After her escape, Olive discovers her friend is among the missing victims. When she begins investigating the accident, more setbacks arise. It will take all she has to overcome those who want to sabotage her search for the truth.

 

 

 

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HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin (Revell; ISBN 9780800736378; ebook ISBN 9781493434152; $15.99 )

When the Nazis march into Paris, an American woman uses her bookstore to aid the resistance, while a businessman chooses to sell his products to Germany—and send vital information home to the US. Can they work together for the higher good, or will it cost them everything they love?

 

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SHORT FORM

A Texas Christmas Carol (in Under the Texas Mistletoe) by Karen Witemeyer (Bethany House; ISBN 9780764239311; ebook ISBN 9781493433681; $14.99)

A town’s wealthy, Scrooge-like bachelor finds his world invaded by a woman set on earning his donation for helping the local poor, and by the penetrating questions of three mysterious visitors.

Baker Publishing Group offers their congratulations to all of the Christy Award winners and would like to acknowledge the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for administering the Christy Awards, which honors and promotes excellence in fiction.

 

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, publishes books that help bring the Christian faith to everyday life. Whether through fiction, Christian living, self-help, marriage, family, or youth books, each Revell publication reflects relevance, integrity, and excellence.

Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, seeks to uplift readers’ families, faith, and free time with our library of industry-leading fiction and bestselling, Christ-centered nonfiction.

Contact: Karen Steele, (616)676-9185 x100, ksteele@bakerpublishinggroup.com