Los Angeles, CA – February 4, 2019 – ECPA member companies Baker Publishing Group, Our Daily Bread Ministries, and Writing for Your Life are collaborating to support the next Publishing in Color conference, scheduled for March 25-27, 2019 at the University of Southern California.  USC’s Office of Religious Life and United University Church are also co-sponsors of the event.

Publishing in Color is a series of conferences for under-represented groups of spiritual authors such as African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx Americans, and Native Americans. The goals of these conferences are to:

• Foster relationships between under-represented groups of prospective spiritual authors and representatives of spiritual book publishing companies, literary agencies, and spiritual magazines
• Provide networking and educational opportunities so that prospective authors can learn more about how to work with these publishers, agencies, and magazines
• Result in an increased number of books and articles published by under-represented groups

Additional ECPA member companies participating include InterVarsity Press and Harvest House Publishers.

“Thanks to Publishing in Color for the opportunity to serve your effort to open doors for under-represented authors, as well as other Christian Publishing industry talent our Daily Bread Ministries desires to engage in our global efforts.” said Joyce Dinkins, Publishing Board Director for Our Daily Bread Ministries. “It’s a privilege to lend our hearts and hands alongside.”

“The leadership team at Baker Publishing Group is enthused and grateful for Publishing in Color conferences.” said Dwight Baker, President & CEO of the Baker Publishing Group. “We look forward to developing the gifts of a wider spectrum of Christian writers, and we anticipate that many readers will be blessed by our work together.”

“We greatly appreciate the strong support of key ECPA members in this effort!” said Brian Allain, owner of Writing for Your Life, and producer of the Publishing in Color conferences. “The very idea of holding the Publishing in Color conferences came from comments made at the ECPA Leadership Summit!”

Keynote speakers for the Publishing in Color Los Angeles conference include authors Mako Fujimura, Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, Sharon Koenig, and Kaitlin Curtice, and Joyce Dinkins (Our Daily Bread Ministries). In addition to these keynote speakers, the event will feature many publishing house and literary agency representatives speaking about various aspects of “how to get published” and will include ample time for networking and relationship building.

Additional information about the conference can be found here:
https://publishingincolor.com/publishing-in-color-conference-march-2019-los-angeles-ca/

Publishing in Color has established a scholarship fund that will pay for selected individuals to attend this or future Publishing in Color conferences at no charge. The fund is currently accepting donations, and profits from the Publishing in Color conferences will be donated to this fund.

You can learn more about the Publishing in Color conference series at: https://publishingincolor.com/

About Writing for Your Life
Writing for Your Life is committed to offering a comprehensive set of useful resources and services to support spiritual writers. We offer in-person writing conferences and online webinars featuring leading spiritual authors and publishing industry experts. Authors discuss and teach about various aspects of spiritual writing. Industry experts offer advice on how to get published and how to market.  We also offer a variety of writer support services including book development, editing, book proposal review, marketing, and platform development. https://writingforyourlife.com/

About Publishing in Color
Publishing in Color is a series of conferences for under-represented groups of spiritual authors such as African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx Americans, and Native Americans. The goals of these conferences are to: foster relationships between under-represented groups of prospective spiritual authors and representatives of spiritual book publishing companies, literary agencies, and spiritual magazines; provide networking and educational opportunities so that prospective authors can learn more about how to work with these publishers, agencies, and magazines; and result in an increased number of books and articles published by under-represented groups. https://publishingincolor.com/

For additional information contact Brian Allain at brian@writingforyourlife.com

More Passion resources to come this year

[Nashville, TENN, (February 4, 2019] Louie Giglio, bestselling author and founder of the Passion movement, is set to release a new book, “Not Forsaken: Finding Freedom As Sons and Daughters of a Perfect Father” (May 2019, B&H Books), that helps readers embrace God as their perfect heavenly Father, regardless of their relationship with or absence of their earthly father.

Giglio, pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta and author of the national bestsellers “Goliath Must Fall,” “The Comeback” and “Indescribable,” has seen first-hand the challenges people have with seeing God as their perfect Father, especially if their earthly father was any less than perfect.

Though every individual has a unique experience with their earthly father, Giglio says what unites is the need woven into every soul, “the need to be loved, and treasured, and noticed and accepted by our father.” Statistics show that more children than ever live without a father at home and the millennial generation, which Giglio has been reaching for years through Passion, has been called “the fatherless generation.” However, Giglio says this book is for everyone—not just those with “daddy issues”—because every Christian needs to discover more of what it means to be a loved son or daughter of the King.

“‘Not Forsaken’ was birthed from a truth that’s transformed my life, and a message I’ve carried for many years: God is not the reflection of your earthly father, He is the perfection of your earthly father,” Giglio said. “No matter how amazing or absent our earthly fathers may be, we can find the utmost freedom in seeing God as our perfect Father.”

Since the first Passion gathering in 1997, Passion events have drawn over a million college students and reached students all over the world. Louie and his wife Shelley are passionate about calling a generation to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus, and in addition to the collegiate gatherings of Passion Conferences, they lead the teams at Passion City Church, sixstepsrecords and Passion Global Institute.

B&H will release more forthcoming trade books from other members of the Passion family, as part of an exclusive partnership between LifeWay and Passion Publishing.

“It’s a profound privilege to help carry ‘Not Forsaken,’ one of Louie’s life messages, to the world, and we couldn’t be more excited to be in partnership with the B&H Publishing Group and their incredible team,” said Kevin Marks, Managing Director for Passion Publishing.

B&H is working collaboratively with Passion Publishing on “Not Forsaken” with a presale campaign, a national media tour, in store and online promotions supporting retail partners, promotions through Passion’s extensive social media platforms and multiple interactive media assets.

“Louie Giglio has been leading generations of Christians for decades, and it’s fair to say he has shaped the church in no small way,” said B&H trade books publisher Devin Maddox. “This message, one that Louie has preached since his earliest days in ministry, is one that we think will resonate deep and wide—because it already has. This book is going to be special.”

For more information, visit bhpublishing.com.

Louie Giglio is Pastor of Passion City Church and the Founder of the Passion movement, which exists to call a generation to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus. Since 1997, Passion has gathered collegiate-aged young people in events across the US and around the world, and continues to see 18-25 year olds fill venues across the nation in pursuit of lives lived for God’s glory. Most recently, Passion hosted 40,000 college students and their leaders in four venues linked together across three cities at Passion 2019. In addition to the collegiate gatherings of Passion Conferences, Louie and his wife Shelley lead the teams at Passion City Church, sixstepsrecords and the Passion Global Institute. Louie is the national-bestselling author of “Not Forsaken” (releasing May 2019), “Goliath Must Fall, The Comeback, The Air I Breathe, I Am Not But I Know I Am,” and “Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God & Science.” As a communicator, Louie speaks at events throughout the U.S. and across the globe. He is widely known for messages like Indescribable and How Great is Our God. An Atlanta native and graduate of Georgia State University, Louie has done post-graduate work at Baylor University and holds a master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Louie and Shelley make their home in Atlanta.

B&H Publishing Group, an imprint of LifeWay Christian Resources, is a team of mission minded people with a passion for taking God’s Word to the world. Because we believe Every Word Matters® we seek to provide intentional, Bible-centered content that positively impacts the hearts and minds of people, inspiring them to build a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. Among our print and digital releases for the trade, church and academic markets, titles include “The New York Times” No. 1 bestsellers “The Love Dare” and “The Vow,” No. 1 CBA bestseller “I Am a Church Member,” as well as the newly-revised Christian Standard Bible (CSB) version.

Passion Publishing, the book-publishing imprint of Passion Ministries, Inc., is committed to lifting and amplifying the messages of the Passion movement and Passion City Church. Above all else Passion is about glorifying God by calling people to live for what matters most, the name and renown of Jesus. Launched in 2014, Passion Publishing has published notable bestsellers “Goliath Must Fall,” “Indescribable” and “The Comeback” Louie Giglio, “Good Good Father” by Chris Tomlin and Pat Barrett, “Single. Dating. Engaged. Married.” by Ben Stuart and “The Jesus Bible.”

Orange County, CA – DEEP RIVER BOOKS has extended the agreement with FRONTGATE MEDIA, one of the world’s leading Faith and Family marketing agencies, to assist their authors with Coaching and Consulting for PR and Social Media.

The yearlong contract extension with FrontGate provides Deep River Books with two individual coaching sessions for each author and a quarterly group webinar.  Deep River Books has signed a wide variety of writers, so these coaching sessions allow FrontGate to give exclusive and focused plans and input to meet each individual’s needs and questions.

The quarterly webinar conferences for the entire Deep River Books imprint are 45-minutes in length and allow for visuals, screen shares, and demonstrations in each area of discussion. This content is also available for authors who may have been interested in participating but were unable to attend the live conferences.

Topics covered include: PR and social media strategy, content development, author events, audience engagement, plan execution, and results analysis.

The sessions have drawn high praise from Deep River Books:

“My meeting with my FrontGate PR coach was excellent. She really helped me plan my author events. She had many great suggestions. I incorporated all her ideas into my launch plans.” shared Kaitlin Covel, author of “Atoning for Ashes.”

“FrontGate has been very helpful with my Facebook and Instagram. I really appreciated their knowledge and patience.” added Danielle Shryock, author of “Unspoken Love.”

“We are so happy to be renewing our partnership with FrontGate Media,” stated Andy Carmichael, Publisher at Deep River Books. “Their professionalism and PR services have exceeded our authors’ expectations. We are already seeing residual successes from their social media coaching and webinars. It’s clear our authors are reaching a broader audience.”

“Authors must develop and build their own audience through lead generation and relationship building using social media and digital communications. We love to empower authors to take control of the communications process, building ties with their readers,” shares Scott A. Shuford, Founder and President of FrontGate Media. “Deep River Books’ excellent group of talented writers have us excited by the diversity of their books.  We look forward to these custom sessions that help individuals while raising the tide for the whole publishing group.”

FrontGate Media is a one-stop marketing shop for publishers and Christian authors, with a long history working with every major publisher and most of the developing publishers as well as serving the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s (ECPA) past events:  the PUBu Marketing Conference, The Christy Awards, and their inaugural Writers’ Conference. FrontGate hosts the official archive of ECPA’s Rush To Press news at http://www.FrontGateMedia.com/category/ecpa.

About Deep River Books
Deep River Books has become a leader in innovative publishing solutions for authors, with several books on various best-seller lists. Their unique mentoring approach to full-service partnership publishing has set a standard for excellence in both production, marketing, and sales.  http://DeepRiverBooks.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, Social Media & Marketing, and Media Buying. FrontGate’s own Web & Events Network also provides reach to 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.

New Kensington, PA — Anchor Distributors is pleased to announce its agreement with Nashville-based Provident Distribution to provide distribution and fulfillment services for one of the world’s foremost media companies.

From its roots in 1997, Provident Distribution has become home to top Christian music labels, including Reunion, Essential, Beach Street, Essential Worship, Cedarmont Kids, Fair Trade Services, StowTown, and New Haven Records. Its home entertainment companies include Provident Films, INSP/Imagicomm, and Family Life.

“The decision to move our physical distribution out of house was difficult. However, we feel confident that going with a well-established distributor will afford Provident the time to focus on creating and curating best-in-class, faith-based music and home entertainment. Anchor allows us to do what we do best and, at the same time, increase the reach of our music and films,” stated Jimmy Wheeler, Provident’s Vice President of Sales and Distribution.

Karen Fulton, Anchor’s Director of Operations, said this partnership makes strategic sense for both organizations. “Our two companies share many of the same accounts and partnering together will eliminate much duplication of effort for both Provident and its retailers,” she said. “This will enable stores to source Provident products from the same distributor where they purchase their other products.”

With headquarters just east of Pittsburgh, Anchor Distributors is part of Whitaker Corporation, which also includes Whitaker House, Whitaker House Español, Smart Kidz Books, and Word Alive—our Canadian distribution division. A Christian, family-run business established in 1976, Whitaker is dedicated to proclaiming the gospel to the lost and flooding the world with life-changing media of eternal value.

Work is already underway to move products from Provident’s current facility in Nashville to Anchor’s warehouse in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. The target date for the implementation of this new partnership is April 1, 2019.

(January 24, 2019) – Today, the Parable Group released its first annual Christian Retail 2018 Year in Review, providing data and insights into the state of Christian retailing, and revealing key lessons retailers and brands can take away from them for the future.

Drawing on $63 million in sales data, 2.2 million consumer receipts, and survey results from U.S. Christian retailers across marketing groups, church stores, and other independents, report highlights include: comparisons of bestsellers across channels, leading trends in product categories, analysis of Christmas sales and year-end sales, and shifts in retailer outlook.

To view the report, visit: https://www.parablegroup.com/year-in-review/christian-retail-2018-year-in-review-bright-spots-amid-changes/

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

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

Nashville, Tenn. [February 1, 2019] – B&H Publishing is proud to release two new volumes that give readers a never-before-seen glimpse into the personal lives of Christian heroes Jim and Elisabeth Elliot: “Devotedly: The Personal Letters and Love Story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot” and “Suffering is Never for Nothing” (February 1, B&H Books)

Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) was a prolific Christian author and speaker whose first husband, Jim Elliot (1927-1956), was one of five missionaries killed as he sought to make contact with an unreached village in Ecuador to share the Gospel with the Waorani Indians. Elisabeth and her then three-year-old daughter Valerie later moved into that same village and spent two more years sharing the Gospel and living among those that killed her husband.

After her return to the U.S., Elisabeth began a speaking and writing ministry, writing twenty-five books and eventually becoming the first female bestselling Christian author and one of the most influential Christians of the twentieth century.

The never-before-published message “Suffering is Never for Nothing” was Elisabeth’s last teaching on suffering, a subject with which she was deeply acquainted. Having lived through great loss during her lifetime, Elisabeth teaches powerfully on God’s grace in the midst of hardship, fulfilling the high calling of Titus 2, trusting through trials and how often through the deepest suffering that God teaches us the deepest lessons.

“Suffering is Never for Nothing” uncovers the truths about suffering which led Elisabeth to be able to say, “Whatever is in the cup that God is offering to me, whether it be pain and sorrow and suffering and grief along with the many more joys, I’m willing to take it because I trust Him.”

B&H will also release “Devotedly: The Personal Letters and Love Story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot” (February 1, 2019), a collection of never-before-published letters and private journals that capture in first-person intimacy the attraction, struggle, drama and devotion that became a most unlikely love story. “Devotedly” chronicles the Elliots’ six-year courtship, with narrative and anecdotes added by Valerie, showing the Elliots’ hearts, hard-fought purity, lived-out truth and unending devotion.

“I feel so privileged to be able to get this book [Devotedly] published, trusting that God allowed my mother to give me my father’s letters to her,” Valerie said. “[My mother] then gave me all her journals, and then to find her letters, which she had forgotten she saved, was a miracle and an amazing gift to me. I truly believe many people will be inspired and spurred on to love God and do His works by their story. What a challenge they lived out for us to follow, and I can only say, may this book call all of us to higher obedience.

B&H is supporting these two volumes with influencer marketing, national publicity, digital ads, store signings and a long-form video discussing the lives of the Elliots and Valerie’s upbringing.

For more information about “Devotedly” and “Suffering Is Never For Nothing,” visit www.elisabethelliotbooks.com or www.devotedlybook.com.

In 2020, B&H will release an authorized biography of Elisabeth Elliot, authored by esteemed biographer, Ellen Vaughn.

“It could be argued that no single modern event propelled more individuals to missionary work than then deaths of Jim Elliot and his friends in Ecuador. Their stories would surely have been known no matter what happened afterward, but it was through Elisabeth Elliot’s pen that the story reached the globe,” said Jennifer Lyell, VP of Book Publishing and Merchandising for LifeWay Christian Resources.

“From that, thousands were called into ministry and sought to live more faithful lives. And from that, another ministry was borne—that of perhaps the most prolific female Christian writer of the 20th century. We are humbled by the sacred honor of bringing this incomparable unpublished work from Elisabeth to print and by the incredible privilege of partnering with Valerie to tell her parents’ story. While generations have already been moved by the lives and ministries of these faithful believers, we pray that these new resources will compel a new generation to learn from them and thus be faithful regardless the circumstance.”

Elisabeth Elliot was one of the most influential Christians of our time and the first bestselling Christian woman with millions of books in print. For more than a half-century, her bestselling books, timeless teachings, and courageous faith have influenced believers and seekers of Jesus Christ throughout the world. She used her experiences as a daughter, wife, mother, widow, and missionary to bring the message of Christ to countless women and men around the world.

Valerie Elliot Shepard was born in Ecuador in the home of a jungle doctor. She was only ten months old when her father, Jim Elliot, was killed by Auca Indians he was seeking to reach with the gospel. She spent her childhood there, while mother, Elisabeth Elliot, ministered to the tribe who killed her father, not returning to the States until she was eight years old. Valerie graduated from Wheaton College in 1976, and has written a children’s book (“Pilipinto’s Happiness”) containing memories of her Amazon upbringing. She and her husband, Walt, a minister whose parents were missionaries in the Congo, have eight grown children. Their home is in the small coastal town of Southport, North Carolina, near Wilmington.

B&H Publishing Group, an imprint of LifeWay Christian Resources, is a team of mission minded people with a passion for taking God’s Word to the world. Because we believe Every Word Matters® we seek to provide intentional, Bible-centered content that positively impacts the hearts and minds of people, inspiring them to build a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. Among our print and digital releases for the trade, church and academic markets, titles include “The New York Times” No. 1 bestsellers “The Love Dare” and “The Vow,” No. 1 CBA bestseller “I Am a Church Member,” as well as the newly-revised Christian Standard Bible (CSB) version.

January 25, 2019—NetGalley LLC, the industry-standard provider of secure digital review copies and marketing solutions to readers of influence, today launched NetGalley Advanced—a premier level of service to help publishers track and analyze NetGalley trends across divisions, and make strategic decisions earlier.

NetGalley continues to dovetail with publishers’ current marketing, publicity, and sales strategies, while expanding their pre-publication reach to new audiences. NetGalley Advanced offers even more tools and insights for marketers and publicists at any level of a publisher’s organization. In addition to the flexible tools and detailed reports that NetGalley already offers, NetGalley Advanced introduces new ways for title marketers and publicists to reframe their work. Plus, additional reports offer more insight about audience, draw correlations between promotions and activity, and help publishers identify their most effective strategies.

“It is our goal to help publishers keep ahead of the ever-shifting publishing landscape, both in market trends and technology,” says Kristina Radke, VP, Business Growth and Engagement. “I know that NetGalley Advanced will be a big step toward helping publishers continue to get earlier information about their audience and title activity.”

Several publishers of various sizes (large general trade, as well as independent publishers) have already adopted NetGalley Advanced as it launched this week.

All of the existing features in NetGalley will continue to be available, while all future development of the platform will happen in NetGalley Advanced. As publishers rely on data more and more to gauge effectiveness of strategies and to drive future decisions, NetGalley Advanced will continue the tradition of implementing new features to address publishers’ needs and goals. At this time, NetGalley Advanced is available to publishers in North America, and will be rolled out to other territories at a later date.

Learn more about NetGalley Advanced by joining a free informational webinar on January 30 at 1:00pm ET. Register here.

About NetGalley
NetGalley (www.netgalley.com) is an industry-standard service to help readers of influence discover and recommend new books to their audiences. NetGalley delivers secure, digital galleys to early influencers on behalf of over 300 publishers in via NetGalley.com, NetGalley.co.uk, NetGalley.de, NetGalley.fr, and NetGalley.jp, to help promote and market new books, and offers a number of targeted marketing services to ensure publishers reach exactly the right influencers. NetGalley is part of Firebrand Technologies (www.firebrandtech.com) which provides leading software and services to help publishers achieve success.

CAROL STREAM, ILL. (January 25, 2019) —Tyndale House Publishers (@tyndalehouse) has announced that it is launching Unfolding Faith (Instagram and Facebook: @unfoldingfaithblog), a variety of media channels designed with Gen Z-ers and Millennials in mind.

Unfolding Faith is a multipronged media platform that features a one-page website for new believers (unfoldingfaith.org), a blog for seekers and disciples (unfoldingfaithblog.com), an Unfolding Stories testimony podcast launching January 29, Unfolding Faith Questions podcast (season one launching 2019), and additional resources that are still in development. This platform will provide diverse and relevant voices for these generations that will speak into the questions and concerns that are in their hearts.

“For more than 50 years, Tyndale has had the same mission: to help people discover the life-giving truths of God’s Word in a language they can relate to and understand,” said Debbie Johnson, vice president, corporate marketing. “Unfolding Faith delivers on that mission by providing a place to help new believers navigate the questions they might have as they begin their walk with Christ.  They’ll find answers to common questions in simple, conversational language backed by the powerful words of Scripture as well as resource recommendations to help them dive deeper. Unfolding Faith is another place for Tyndale to connect with people and minister to their spiritual needs.”

• Unfoldingfaith.org is a simple but attractive website specifically designed to answer the biggest questions new believers ask. What do I do now? How should I pray? How do I start reading the Bible? These are questions that all new Christians want answered, and they are addressed in everyday language, avoiding unfamiliar “church-speak” and pointing readers to places, resources, and people to get them started in their new life of faith.
• The Unfolding Faith blog (unfoldingfaithblog.com) dives deeper into the questions new Christians and seekers have, with helpful articles, tips for modern Christians, and directions to additional resources. Aimed at both new believers and seekers, plus Christians looking for help with their discipleship and spiritual growth, the blog aims to provide answers to the big questions about the Christian faith, practical resources for growth in faith, and encouragement for the journey.

In development are two podcasts aimed at seekers and new believers, including Unfolding Stories, featuring real people’s testimonies and stories of God’s hand over their lives. Episode one of season one releases on all major podcast platforms, January 29, 2019. Plus, Unfolding Faith Questions, a micro-podcast series focusing on questions and answers about Christianity.

“The reason for developing Unfolding Faith and its different media channels is to provide something visually, audibly, and intellectually appealing to an audience that has different needs in learning about the Christian faith,” said Natalie Bellantuono, consumer marketing manager. “When I was on my spiritual journey, I tried to find places to learn about Jesus, how to read the Bible, and what it means to be a modern Christian. But I really struggled to find anything that spoke to someone new to the faith, that understood where I was coming from as a person entirely unfamiliar with Christianity. Younger people, especially those new to faith, want to hear from their peers, to learn from the authentic experiences of others, and to have the Bible just make sense.”

Additional resources can be found on the Instagram and Facebook accounts @unfoldingfaithblog.

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 that 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 imagination 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. 

Tyndale House Foundation, established in 1963 by Kenneth and Margaret Taylor, is a charitable organization that makes grants to support Christian work around the world. For more than 50 years, the foundation has received all royalties from the sales of Living Letters (1962), The Living Bible (1971), and the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (1996). In 2001, Ken and Margaret Taylor transferred ownership of Tyndale House Publishers to the foundation. As a result, dividends from the profitable operations of the publishing company also now flow to the foundation.

(Colorado Springs, CO) – Magazine Training International (MTI) announces a new “Introduction to Magazine Publishing” course, and a corresponding manual published especially for a conference in 2019 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The seven-day course is designed primarily for those who have little or no experience in professional magazine publishing. It will present an overview of the entire magazine publishing process, giving students a thumbnail view of everything they need to know to successfully publish a Christian periodical. For this reason, an international team of six publishing professionals will include experts in magazine editing, management, and design.

“I’m looking forward to meeting Christians in magazine publishing in West Africa,” says Sharon Mumper, president of MTI. “Because our website and most of our resources are in English, we’ve had little contact with French-speaking publishers. However, they are now asking for training in magazine publishing. Few French-language resources on publishing are accessible to them. For this reason, we are developing an Introduction to Magazine Publishing course especially for them.”

Publishers, editors, and designers of existing magazines, as well as those who are considering starting a magazine, will want to attend. At least a full day will be devoted to exploring the process of starting a new magazine.

Staff of small magazines, where one or two people are responsible to handle jobs in multiple disciplines, will specifically benefit from the course. It will also benefit those whose experience is limited to one area, but who desire to see how the whole publishing process works together.

The 100-page manual will outline the course and provide additional resource materials. It will be made available in French for the French-language course, but eventually will be offered in other languages.

Other courses offered by MTI during the last 30 years include intensive, four-to-seven-day, college-level courses on magazine design, writing, editing, management, and advanced business of magazine publishing.

The French-language course will be held in Abidjan on 8 – 14 September, 2019, and is organized for magazine publishing staff in Francophone Africa. It is the second conference in the 10-year training program for Africa, which launched in Kenya in 2018.

In 2021, MTI will build on the 2018 Kenya training program in Nigeria for English-speaking magazine staff. The program may continue in Francophone Africa in 2022, if the staff of the French-language magazines believe they will to benefit from further coursework. If not, individual consulting help to publishers and editors of French-language magazines may be offered instead.

ROBERT MORRIS OFFERS BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES TO HELP ACHIEVE ABUNDANT LIVING IN HIS NEW BOOK BEYOND BLESSED

(NASHVILLE, TN) FaithWords, is in the third printing of BEYOND BLESSED: God’s Perfect Plan for No Financial Stress (FaithWords, Jan. 8, 2019, ISBN: 9781546010098), by bestselling author of The Blessed Life, and lead senior pastor of Gateway Church in Dallas/Fort Worth, Pastor Robert Morris.  Take the Day Off, will be released in January 2020, it is the second book in a two-book deal with Morris.

“It’s a privilege and an honor to publish this new book by Pastor Robert Morris,” said Rolf Zettersten, publisher.  “BEYOND BLESSED is full of practical and inspirational insights to help people with the resources God has entrusted to them.”

In the follow-up to the widely successful The Blessed Life, in Beyond Blessed Morris teaches readers the biblical principles to follow in order to reach their financial goals, give generously, and experience abundant living. Featuring a foreword by Dave Ramsey, Beyond Blessed teaches readers practical skills including budgeting, handling debt, and financial planning, but also communicates principles, precepts and patterns that will make readers sound, skillful handlers of all that God has entrusted to them.

Morris wrote Beyond Blessed to provide readers with the biblical principles that Christians need in order to effectively steward every area of their lives, resulting in God’s favor and blessings. He writes that the ability to manage wealth and material possessions is not an innate talent possessed at birth, but rather a skill that can be taught and learned.