Michael W. Smith Wins 2019 Golden Scroll Lifetime Achievement Award

Murfreesboro, TN  –  AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) announced the winners of the 2019 Golden Scroll Awards at the Golden Scroll Banquet, Sunday, August 27, at the Embassy Suites Conference Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The Golden Scrolls Book of the Year was awarded to Jennifer Kennedy Dean for “SEEK: 28 Days of Extraordinary Prayer” from New Hope Publishers.

The Nonfiction Book of the Year Award went to Linda Rooks for “Fighting for Your Marriage While Separated” (New Growth Press).

The Novel of the Year Award went to Cynthia Ruchti for “Miles from Where We Started” (Gilead Publishing).

The Children’s Book of the Year was awarded to two authors: Michelle Medlock Adams for “Dinosaur Devotionals” (Thomas Nelson) and Michelle Lazurek for “Uniquely You” (Elk Lake Publishing). Second place went to Michelle Medlock Adams for “C is for Christmas” (Little Lamb Books).

The Bible Study Book of the Year was awarded to Kim de Blecourt for “I Call You Mine” (New Hope Publishers). Second place went to Susan Neal for “Christian Study Guide for 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates” (Christian Yoga, LLC).

The Memoir of the Year was awarded to Becky Yates Spenser for “A Bruised Reed: Memoirs of African Orphans and Their Rescuers” (Grand Staff Publishing). Second place went to Patty Mason for “Finally Free: Breaking the Bonds of Depression Without Drugs” (Living Parables of Central Florida, Inc.).

The Christian Living Book of the Year went to Lori Roeleveld for “The Art of Hard Conversation: Biblical Tools for the Tough Talks That Matter” (Kregel Publications). Second place went to Janet Holm McHenry for “The Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus” (Bethany House Publishers).

The Inspirational Gift Book of the Year was awarded to two authors: Jill Swanson for “Simply Stylish — Look Great Spend Less” (Bold Vision Books) and Susan U. Neal for “Healthy Living Journal” (Christian Yoga, LLC). Second place went to Sarah Forgrave for “Prayers of Hope for Caregivers” (Harvest House Publishers).

The Historical Novel of the Year was awarded to Rebecca Price Janney for “Easton at the Crossroads” (Elk Lake Publishers).

The Romance Novel of the Year was awarded to Edie Melson for “Maiden of Iron: A Steampunk Fable” (Elk Lake Publishing).

The Contemporary Novel of the Year was awarded to Beth Vogt for “Things I Never Told You” (Tyndale House Publishers). Second place went to Deborah Raney for “Reasons to Breathe” (Gilead Publishing).

The Mystery/Suspense Novel of the Year DiAnn Mills for “High Treason” (Tyndale House Publishers). Second place went to Lynette Eason for “Holiday Amnesia” (Harlequin Digital Sales Corp.).

The Arise Daily Writer of the Year was awarded to Jennifer Slattery.

AWSA’s official magazine, “Leading Hearts,” won their fifth straight Evangelical Press Association Merit award. The “Leading Hearts” Columnist of the Year went to Karen Porter for her column, “In the Lead.” Feature Article of the Year went to Janell Rardon for her article, “Do the One Thing That Changes Everything.”

The 2019 AWSA Member of the Year Award went to Julie Coleman. AWSA founder Linda Evans Shepherd said, “Julie Coleman loves to teach the Word of God! With contagious enthusiasm, she brings hope and encouragement to her audience through rich biblical teaching.”

The Jennifer Kennedy Dean Award went to Pam Farrel. This award, according to Linda Evans Shepherd, is in honor of the late Jennifer Kennedy Dean, an AWSA author who recently passed away. “This special award recognizes someone who carries the light with excellence to a hurting world.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Michael W. Smith in honor of his 35^th year in ministry. He has been honored with three Grammy Awards, 45 Dove Awards, and American Music Award. Smith ministered in song and participated in a question-and-answer session hosted by CTN host Monica Schmelter, who served as emcee for the event.

Schmelter and Linda Evans Shepherd, author and AWSA founder, presented the awards and Josh Huisman, pastor of New Hope Community Church in Brentwood, performed a parody.

AWSA, the sponsor of the Golden Scroll Awards Banquet, is an outreach of Right to the Heart Ministries and consists of over 600 top women authors who both publish and speak nationally. See www.AWSA.com.

The Awards Show will be broadcast on CTN’s Roku Channels at a date TBA.

Highlight Photos available for download at:  http://bit.ly/2019GoldenScrollAwards

JEFFERSON BETHKE HIGHLIGHTS WAYS PEOPLE CAN RECLAIM THEIR LIVES 

“TO HELL WITH THE HUSTLE” RELEASES OCT. 15, AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER NOW

(August 12, 2019) – According to New York Times bestselling author Jefferson Bethke, the hustle is killing us. It’s sapping us of meaning, purpose, and emotional and spiritual health. In his groundbreaking new book, “To Hell with the Hustle: Reclaiming Your Life in an Overworked, Overspent, and Overconnected World,” Bethke provides readers with helpful ways they can shift their focus from the hustle of overconnectivity to living a life that’s full of purpose and meaning. The title will release October 15, 2019 via Thomas Nelson and is available now for preorder.

In “To Hell With The Hustle,” Bethke offers fresh insight about how millennials are so driven towards achieving a high level of success, that this generation is facing burnout, depression and loneliness in record numbers.“

Our culture makes constant demands on all of us,” says Bethke. “Do more. Accomplish more. Buy more. Post more. Tweet more. And in following those demands, we have indeed become more–more anxious, more tired, more hurt, more depressed, more frantic. What we are doing isn’t working because we have forgotten the fundamentals that make us human, the things that anchor our lives, providing us with roots and meaning.”

In this highly-anticipated book, Bethke delivers an important wake-up call to resist culture and embrace the slowness of life as depicted in the biblical model of Jesus Himself. He encourages readers to stop doing and start becoming by proactively setting up boundaries in their lives and cultivating disciplines within them. Bethke reveals that what the world teaches us to avoid at all costs–things such as silence, obscurity, solitude, and vulnerability–are the very things that can give us the meaning, depth, order, and the richness we are truly looking for.

“To Hell With The Hustle” is for anyone who wants to get off the soul crushing treadmill that’s driving them to lead lives that that are physically and emotionally toxic, and take the path that offers stronger relationships and greater well-being in every area of their lives.

For more information, please visit:

Website: https://jeffandalyssa.com/
Facebook: fb.com/jeffersonbethkepage
Twitter: twitter.com/jeffersonbethke
Instagram: instagram.com/jeffersonbethke
YouTube: youtube.com/bball1989

About Jefferson Bethke
Jefferson Bethke is the New York Times bestselling author of “Jesus > Religion and It’s Not What You Think,” who became an overnight YouTube sensation when his four-minute video, Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus, went viral across the digital world, garnering some six millions views within three days of its release. Since then, the movie short has been viewed by more than 34 million people around the world. Bethke and his wife, Alyssa, host The Real Life Podcast each week as well as help run Family Teams, an online initiative to help families flourish. They live in Maui with their daughters, Kinsley and Lucy, and son, Kannon. 

About Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., is a world-leading provider of Christian content and has been providing readers with quality inspirational product for more than 200 years. The publishing group provides multiple formats of award-winning Bibles, books, gift books, cookbooks, curriculum and digital content, with distribution of its products in more than 100 countries. Thomas Nelson is headquartered in Nashville, TN. For additional information, please visit www.thomasnelson.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Rogers & Cowan Tracy Cole, 615.568.2988, tcole@rogersandcowan.com

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“Jefferson will help you understand why the hustle can seem so alluring, show you how to avoid the traps it’s created in our culture, and find true joy chasing after Christ instead.”
–          Craig Groeschel, pastor of LifeChurch and New York Times bestselling author

“To live like Jesus, to work and rest like Jesus, is the desire of so many hearts (mine included), and Jeff is leading us toward that life.”
–          Annie F. Downs, bestselling author of “100 Days to Brave” and host of That Sounds Fun 

“This book will challenge you to live a life that relies on God.”
–          Jennie Allen, author of “Nothing to Prove,” founder and visionary of IF:Gathering LOS ANGELES

Become the Grandparent You’re Called to Be: Author Larry McCall explores what grandparenting looks like from God’s perspective

Greensboro, NC – Spoil them rotten and send them back home to their parents. That’s the best part of being a grandparent, right? Author Larry McCall hopes not. After all, as he quips, who wants a bunch of spoiled children running around? In his new book, Grandparenting with Grace: Living the Gospel with the Next Generation, McCall digs into scripture to examine God’s calling on the lives of grandparents.

Readers hungry to know more about God’s calling for this role will find inspiration, encouragement, and gospel hope. As a parent to three and grandparent to six, McCall shares his personal experiences coming alongside his children in supportive ways as they seek to raise their kids—his grandkids—in the ways of Christ.

“Most grandparents love being grandparents. But, interestingly, few grandparents have given much thought to what grandparenting should look like from God’s viewpoint,” McCall explains. “In Grandparenting with Grace, I am seeking to serve my fellow-grandparents by showing them from the Bible how they can have an impact on their grandchildren that can bear fruit not only throughout their grandchildren’s lifetimes, but even into eternity.”

While many in our culture look at grandparenting primarily as an opportunity to make occasional fun memories with their grandkids, that shouldn’t be the only involvement they have in their lives. McCall urges readers to look at grandparenting from an eternal perspective, considering how to be involved in their families in God-honoring ways.

Grandparenting with Grace applies biblical teaching in specific, real-life situations and relationships to explain what God says about grandchildren and grandparents. Rather than relying on personal stories and ideas alone, McCall seeks to explain from Scripture the “what,” “why,” “who,” and “how” of grandparenting. Chapters cover a variety of practical topics including:

• Developing God-honoring relationships with your grandchild’s parents
• Grandparenting intentionally
• Praying for your grandchild
• Leaving a godly legacy

McCall also explores commonly encountered challenges grandparents face, including long-distance grandparenting, the effects of divorce, adding to the family through remarriage or adoption, and wayward children and grandchildren.

“Grandparents who care about both their grandkids and the gospel will find Larry McCall’s book full of biblical principles and practical advice,” writes Larry Fowler, Founder of The Legacy Coalition. “Larry gets it: the important role that grandparents can play in the spiritual development of their grandchildren, and the scriptural mandate to do so is a message every Christian grandparent needs to hear and act upon. I strongly recommend that grandparents not only read—but study—Grandparenting with Grace!”

Grandparenting with Grace: Living the Gospel with the Next Generation
by Larry McCall
August 12, 2019 / Retail Price: $15.99
Print ISBN 978-1-948130-69-1
Religion / Christian Living / Family & Relationships

Larry McCall has served as a pastor at Christ’s Covenant Church of Winona Lake, Indiana, since 1981. He has written a number of articles and is the author of Walking Like Jesus Did, Loving Your Wife as Christ Loves the Church and Grandparenting with Grace.  McCall is a graduate of Grace College, Grace Theological Seminary and has a doctor of ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.  Larry has been married to Gladine since 1975. They have three married children and six grandchildren.

For review copy and interview information, contact:
Audra Jennings – audra@newgrowthpress.com – 903-874-8363

(August 15, 2019) – The Parable Group today announced the launch of a free five-session online webinar series to encourage and equip Christian retailers. Live Gather & Grow webinars are aimed at providing every Christian retailer with the latest tips, ideas, and insights to improve their ministry and boost their business. Each 30-minute webinar will be led by distinguished industry leaders.

Bookstore owner Lorraine Valk from Parable Christian Store of St. Joseph in St. Joseph, Michigan and Helen Schmidt, Senior Director of Marketing from HarperCollins Christian Publishing will lead the first session—How to Get New Customers into Your Store this Christmas—scheduled for September 4, 2019, at 9:00 AM Pacific. Each session will conclude with an open time for retailers to ask questions, share additional ideas, and learn from each other in an open forum.

Subsequent sessions include 5 Tips for Building Relationships with Churches; 3 Simple Ways to Boost Your Bible Study Sales; How to Get Discovered Online without Paying a Penny; and Discover What Your Data Already Knows—Inventory Tips to Increase Sales. Presenters include veteran retailers James Peters, Kevin Ferguson, Bob Gillett, and Chuck Wallington along with leaders from B&H Publishing, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and others. Details on future webinars are available at GatherAndGrowWebinarSeries.com.

“It’s our hope that this community-building and idea-sharing forum brings our industry together,” says Jeff Bruenning from The Parable Group. “We can all learn from one another, strengthen each other, and grow our ministries and businesses together.”

To promote the launch of the webinar series, each attendee will be automatically entered for a chance to win a $250 cash prize. One winner will be randomly selected on October 31, 2019.

Christian retailers are encouraged to sign up for the Gather & Grow webinar series by visiting GatherAndGrowWebinarSeries.com.

The Parable Group is a Christian marketing agency based in San Luis Obispo, CA. Since 1985, they’ve served over 1,000 Christian brands; including publishers, independent retailers, churches, non-profit ministries and more. Today, they pair decades of Christian consumer data with proven business practices and digital technologies to drive measurable results for those they serve. For more information, contact sally.ross@parable.com or visit www.parablegroup.com.

Contact: Sally Ross, (805) 329-4020, sally.ross@parable.com

Global Bridgebuilders to offer ECPA members a discount off their services

ECPA has partnered with Global Bridgebuilders (GBB) to offer ECPA members discounted services, in order to encourage sustainable changes to ECPA members committed to a more diverse workforce and publishing program. Global Bridgebuilders has built a record of transforming enterprises by capturing the advantage present in every diverse workforce.  “A disciplined approach to diversity permits companies to build robust, long-term performance advantages,” explains Skot Welch, president of Global Bridgebuilders.

“We are so pleased to include Global Bridgebuilders in our family of business solutions providers,” states Stan Jantz, ECPA president. “They provide an important solution for ECPA members committed to a more diverse workforce and publishing program.”

More on Global Bridgebuilders

More on Global Bridgebuilders’s services to ECPA members

More about ECPA’s diversity initiatives

Global Bridgebuilders joins a group of companies committed to providing ECPA members with discounted business solutions. They are: MetaComet, Firebrand Technologies, NetGalley, NPD Book, and Flagler Law Group.  For more information, visit the Business Solutions menu at ECPA.org.

Gist: The Essence of Raising Life-Ready Kids is a fresh look at parenting that is effective, efficient, and enjoyable

Carol Stream, Ill. (August 13, 2019) Focus on the Family, in alliance with Tyndale House Publishers, will release Gist on October 8, 2019. Michael W. Anderson, a licensed psychologist, and Timothy D. Johanson, a pediatrician and medical professor, combine their knowledge of childhood development and experience of parenting gone wrong in this no-nonsense guide to preparing kids for life. Previously self-published, Gisthas been updated to meet the specific needs of today’s parents.

Anderson and Johanson are already trusted by countless parents in their roles as parenting editors of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). Gist is unique in that it looks at many aspects of life that wouldn’t typically be associated with parenting. Its focus on life readiness offers parents a new lens through which to see their parenting interactions and translates to an approach that eliminates many of the power struggles and ineffective patterns that can rob families of much of their joy. Gist goes beyond surviving the day-to-day to address the broader journey to adulthood.

Julie Lythcott-Haims, former dean of students at Stanford University, said, “Gist is a potent dose of advice from a pediatrician and a child psychologist, both of whom have witnessed the unfortunate results that come when parents try to protect, prevent, and control at every turn instead of preparing their kids for life. Combining the expertise of their respective professions with very practical tips, this is a how-to manual for any parent who wants to prepare their kids to thrive as adults.”

Gist by Michael W. Anderson, L.P., and Timothy D. Johanson, M.D.
ISBN: 978-1-58997-586-6
Hardcover: $17.99
October 2019
FocusontheFamily.com
Tyndale.com

Since its founding in 1962, Tyndale House Publishers has been a voice to trust for generations of readers. Today, Tyndale is one of the largest independent Christian publishers in the world. Tyndale’s mission is to make the Bible accessible to as many people as possible in language they can relate and respond to. Tyndale publishes the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT) and offers nonfiction books that equip readers with Christ-centered insight, counsel, and life-improving stories. In addition, Tyndale publishes fiction from fresh new voices and celebrated authors alike, capturing the imaginations of millions of readers. With a deep understanding of the importance of nurturing future generations, Tyndale also publishes children’s products that make God’s Word and wisdom come alive. Tyndale’s independent status allows it to follow its founding model, giving a majority of annual revenue—more than $100 million throughout its history—to charitable missions. With every book purchased, Tyndale readers help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world.

Focus on the Family, which reaches about 38 million people in 120 countries, is a global faith-based ministry that helps families thrive. Tyndale House Publishers is pleased to partner with Focus on the Family to help provide trusted resources for strengthening believers in their faith and sharing the gospel; building resilient marriages that reflect God’s design; equipping parents to raise their children with a thriving faith; advocating for the preborn, orphaned, and life at every stage; and engaging the culture through a biblical worldview. Visit Focus at FocusontheFamily.com or on Facebook and Twitter.

Character-building picture books for ages 3–5

Carol Stream, Ill. (August 13, 2019)—Focus on the Family, in alliance with Tyndale House Publishers, will release Otter B Helpful, Otter B Taking Turns, and Otter B Trustworthy on October 8, 2019. Otter B teaches basic biblical character traits in a sweet, simple manner that small children can understand. The series is based on a character named Otter who gets involved in various situations in which he learns a lesson about godly character based on the outcome of his actions.

Otter B Helpful (#4)—Otter learns to be helpful when his grandparents come for a visit. Each book includes an appropriate Bible verse, and Otter B Helpful ends with this takeaway about the lesson:  “There’s always lots of work to do in every family.  God says that helping out is best.  It’s how you Otter Be!”

Otter B Taking Turns (#5)—Otter learns to take turns with his friends at the playground.

Otter B Trustworthy (#6)—When Otter doesn’t put back his parents’ things like he promised, they get wet in the rain. He learns what it means to be trustworthy.

About the Authors:

Pamela Kennedy is the author of more than 50 children’s books. She has published hundreds of articles for a variety of organizations, including Ideals magazine. She has organized and taught Bible studies, religion classes, and marriage workshops. When she’s not writing, she loves playing with her grandchildren.

Anne Kennedy Brady has authored or coauthored more than a dozen children’s books, and her writing has appeared in Ideals magazine and Verily (verilymag.com). She’s also the author of five plays that have been professionally produced and is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University.

Otter B Helpful / ISBN: 978-1-58997-047-2
Otter B Taking Turns / ISBN: 978-1-58997-397-8
Otter B Trustworthy / ISBN: 978-1-58997-452-4
Hardcover: $8.99 each
October 2019
FocusontheFamily.com
Tyndale.com

Tyndale House Publishers, founded in 1962, is one of the largest privately held Christian publishers of books, Bibles, and digital media in the world. Tyndale Momentum, Tyndale’s nonfiction imprint, is the publisher of many New York Times bestsellers and is known for integrity in building lasting personal relationships with authors and agents. Tyndale extends the ministry of its authors by contributing most of its profits to the nonprofit Tyndale House Foundation, which makes grants to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world. Originally founded to publish 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.

Focus on the Family, which reaches about 38 million people in 120 countries, is a global faith-based ministry that helps families thrive. Tyndale House Publishers is pleased to partner with Focus on the Family to help provide trusted resources for strengthening believers in their faith and sharing the gospel; building resilient marriages that reflect God’s design; equipping parents to raise their children with a thriving faith; advocating for the preborn, orphaned, and life at every stage; and engaging the culture through a biblical worldview. Visit Focus at FocusontheFamily.com or on Facebook and Twitter.

WESTMONT, IL—Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren released at the end of 2016 to high praise and bestselling sales numbers. Since then it has sold nearly seventy-five-thousand copies and has received such accolades as a starred review in Publishers Weekly and the Beautiful Orthodoxy Book of the Year award from Christianity Today. Given the ongoing interest in the book, IVP is releasing a new hardcover edition of Warren’s masterful work in December 2019 to commemorate the book and its accomplishments.

“When several of us at IVP got acquainted with Tish Harrison Warren and her writing, we knew we had found a winsome and distinctive voice. One that perfectly fit our ethos,” said Cindy Bunch, associate publisher and director of editorial for IVP. “The structure the author put into place for Liturgy of the Ordinary gave her an ideal writing structure, flowing out of both the lines of an ordinary day and of our Sunday worship. At release it was quickly and heartily embraced by readers. As a way to celebrate its success, we are now pleased to offer it in a hardcover format.”

Liturgy of the Ordinary has defied typical publishing sales models, having ongoing steady sales in the months and years since its original release. And the praise continued after the book’s release as well, with reviews in the Chicago Tribune, the Episcopalian magazine The Living Church, and others.

“From the photograph of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the cover, Tish Harrison Warren’s debut work, Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life, signals that it’s rooted in the quotidian, the humble humdrum of day-after-day existence,” said Barbara Mahany for the Chicago Tribune. “This is spiritual guidance for the bed-maker, the teeth-brusher, the traffic-snarled among us. This is one ordinary day turned inside out, its hallowed script revealed, liturgical underpinnings exposed. . . . The purity of her vision, the clarity of her writing, makes effortless work of the notion that the small acts of our everydays are what shape us into the sacred vessels we are meant to be.”

The hardcover edition will be available in bookstores and online on December 3, 2019. For more information, please visit ivpress.com/liturgy-of-the-ordinary.

Founded in 1947 as an extension of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, IVP serves those in the university, the church and the world by publishing thoughtful Christian books that equip and encourage people to follow Jesus as Savior and Lord in all of life. For more information, visit ivpress.com.

Contact: Alisse Wissman | 630.734.4059 | awissman@ivpress.com

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN (August 12, 2019)—Editorial Portavoz, founded in 1970 by Harold Kregel in Barcelona, Spain, received the award of Publisher of the Year during the SEPA Awards ceremony, hosted by the Spanish Evangelical Publishers Association, with the majority of the votes coming from distributors and retailers in Latin America and Spain.

The ceremony was held on Wednesday, August 7, in Miami, Florida, during Expolit 2019, the convention that brings together the industry of Spanish Christian products and services for ministries, churches, and individuals.

The book Mentiras que las mujeres creen y la verdad que las hace libres (Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free), by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, was selected as the Harold Kregel Book of the Year Award winner. This book exposes those areas of deception most commonly believed by Christian women and sheds light on how they can be set free to walk in God’s grace, forgiveness, and abundant life.

In the Art and Design category, Editorial Portavoz received the award for Best Ad for the advertising piece designed for Dios y el debate transgénero (God and the Transgender Debate) by Andrew T. Walker.

Two other outstanding awards received by the publishing house were Best Presence in Social Media and Best Website—the latter for the fourth consecutive year.

In the children’s category, the best-selling book in 2018 was Parábolas de vida (Parables of Life) by Liz Curtis Higgs published by Portavoz.

In the Sales Milestones category, Editorial Portavoz received the Platinum Award (more than 500,000 sold) for La gratitud y el perdón (Gratitude and Forgiveness) by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and the Silver Award (more than 100,000 sold) for Mentiras que las jóvenes creen (Lies Young Women Believe) also by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.

Tito Mantilla, Executive Director and Publisher of Editorial Portavoz, said: “This recognition from our industry reaffirms our commitment to develop and publish Bibles and books with biblical content and excellent editorial quality that have a positive impact on Spanish-speaking readers. Our sales, marketing, and customer service teams continue to perform extraordinary work to support our distributors and retailers in their mission to distribute our materials. I am very proud of the entire Portavoz team and very grateful to the industry for their vote of confidence.”

“These awards are wonderful commendations for our Spanish division Editorial Portavoz,” said Jerry Kregel, president of Kregel Inc. “They reflect the quality work of the entire team, all of whom are deeply committed to providing books that reflect biblical truth and encourage Spanish speakers around the world to grow in their faith. We’re grateful to know that the industry recognizes their gifts and efforts, and we are very excited about the continued growth and the expanded ministry impact of Editorial Portavoz.”

Editorial Portavoz’s mission is to provide quality products—with integrity and excellence—from a trustworthy, biblical perspective that encourages people in their spiritual lives and Christian service. Editorial Portavoz is a division of Kregel Inc., which also includes Kregel Publications.

SEPA, the Spanish Evangelical Publishers Association, was founded with the aim of promoting dialogue among publishers and organizing activities and events that promote the distribution of Spanish-language Christian resources.

Audiobook edition of Girl, Wash Your Face sells over one million copies

August 16, 2019 (NASHVILLE, TN) – As the audiobook format continues to see astronomical growth industry-wide, Thomas Nelson celebrated an audiobook milestone of their own: a million audiobook copies sold of Rachel Hollis’s New York Times bestselling title, Girl, Wash Your Face.

The audiobook edition of Girl, Wash Your Face was released on February 6, 2018 and saw continual growth through the first year of its release. Rachel Hollis’s energetic narration has captivated audiobook listeners by communicating the book’s both vulnerable honesty and unflinching humor.

“The enthusiasm for Girl, Wash Your Face continually inspires us here at HCCP,” says Tim Paulson, vice president and publisher of Nelson Books. “The sales of this book only prove that this book is meeting a need of so many people who are looking for the message that Rachel is able to offer them.”

With painful honesty and fearless humor, Rachel unpacks and examines the falsehoods that once left her feeling overwhelmed and unworthy and reveals the specific practical strategies that helped her move past them. In the process, she encourages, entertains, and even kicks a little butt, all to convince you to do whatever it takes to get real and become the joyous, confident woman you were meant to be.

Brad Hill, senior manager of audio sales, said, “Obviously, Girl, Wash Your Face has spoken to people in a unique way, and the audiobook only offers another level of connection, by letting the author tell you her story in her own voice. We are excited to continue finding new ways for the audiobook to reach an even wider audience.”

Across all formats, Girl, Wash Your Face has sold over three million copies worldwide.

Thomas Nelson, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., is a world-leading provider of Christian content and has been providing readers with quality inspirational product for more than 200 years. The publishing group provides multiple formats of award-winning Bibles, books, gift books, cookbooks, curriculum and digital content, with distribution of its products in more than 100 countries. Thomas Nelson is headquartered in Nashville, TN. For additional information, please visit www.thomasnelson.com.

Contact: Jolene Barto, Marketing Manager, Audio Sales, 615.902.2389, Jolene.Barto@HarperCollins.com