(January 4, 2018) – With retail data analytics emerging as a key tool to boost business and profits, Christian retailers widely embraced the technology in 2017. The Parable Group, a leading marketing agency and CBA’s exclusive data collection partner, announced that an astounding 80% of the 367 stores they serve participate in data.

The Parable Group now collects and monitors retail sales information from 290 Christian retailers (including Covenant, Munce, Logos and Parable stores), church stores, Catholic stores, and unaffiliated stores across the US and Canada.

“It’s an exciting time for Christian retailers—technology and retail data analytics initiatives are generating real value that translates into increased customer loyalty, a better customer experience and higher revenue,” said Erik Ernstrom, Manager of Business Intelligence for The Parable Group.

The Parable Group data service is designed to meet retailers’ specific competitive data needs. Some participating retailers view data analytics, graphs and reports on ParableConnect daily—to monitor sales by category, identify trends, better target customers, improve stock-turn and stock management, and increase profit. Other participating retailers, just starting out on their data journey, utilize the free Cross:Scan bestsellers lists to improve inventory.

“We’re encouraged to see the number of stores participating in data programs continue to increase—everything from Get It Local Today, to Cross:Scan, to wanting help with their catalog mailings. As our industry continues to come together, we can only get stronger,” said Ernstrom.

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. As CBA’s exclusive data warehouse partner, we also safeguard Cross:Scan data to help unite and improve the Christian products industry. For more information, contact sally.ross@parable.com or visit www.parablegroup.com.

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

Viral star challenges women to tune out the naysayers of the world and embrace the “you” God made you to be

Uhrichsville, OH—Barbour Publishing is pleased to announce the signing of a book deal with life coach, motivational speaker, and social media comedian Carolanne Miljavac. Her debut book, Odd(ly) Enough: Standing Out When the World Begs You to Fit In, is scheduled to release in November 2018 under Barbour’s Shiloh Run Press imprint.

Humorous. Authentic. Relatable. That’s Carolanne Miljavac in a nutshell. With over 100 million video views and 350,000 social media followers, she has become the “go to girl” for a good laugh, motivation, loving truths, and vulnerability. Her purpose in life is to spread love and joy without sacrificing honesty and truth—something that has resonated with millions of people on her wildly popular social media pages.

Miljavac’s Odd(ly) Enough is for women of all ages who have ever felt insignificant, out of place, uncomfortable, or unqualified. She says, “When we are broken and humbled. . .God comes in and shows us the beauty in our ashes. Everything that we think makes us an outcast is what actually makes us. . .oddly enough.”

About the Author
Carolanne Miljavac is a southern raised, Jesus saved, barely sane author, speaker, social media goofball, wife, and mom of 3 daughters. With a bachelor’s degree in English, CA has earned an Olympic bronze medal in waitressing, 2 silvers in door-to-door sales, a gold in virtual health/life coaching, and 10s across the board in the art of sarcasm. Impressive, she knows. But it was the crushing loss of her seven-year-old niece to cancer that finally humbled her enough to listen to God when He said to her, as she crumbled in her car, “Give it up.” Without the chains of fear and insecurity, she followed her spirit’s instruction to speak. She now has over 100 million video views and 350,000 social media followers. She pulls heartstrings while tapping funny bones with a message of freedom and revelation. Her purpose in life is to spread love and joy without sacrificing honesty and truth. She believes we all have a story needing to be told. Grief taught her gratitude, pain gave her purpose, and loss revealed true love. With faith, she found audacity, and her mission is to give you the guts to be you too.

To learn more about Carolanne Miljavac, visit her website at www.camiljavac.com. In addition, title details for Odd(ly) Enough will soon be available on Edelweiss.

Media Contact: Shalyn Sattler ssattler@barbourbooks.com 740.922.6045 X 109

Purcellville, VA—The Good Book Company is one of the more recent arrivals to the US Christian publishing scene, and so when it was announced that two of the eight categories in the 2017 Gospel Coalition Book Awards had been won by TGBC titles—alongside entries from giants like Crossway, IVP, B&H and Zondervan—it was cause for much celebration at their offices in Virginia.

Andrew Walker’s God and the Transgender Debate won in the Public Theology & Current Events category, while Trillia Newbell’s storybook, God’s Very Good Idea took first place in Children’s category. Announcing the 2017 award winners, Ivan Mesa, one of the editors for The Gospel Coalition, explained that the judges looked for books which “offer gospel-centered argument and application; include faithful and foundational use of Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament; foster spiritual discernment of contemporary trials and trends; and encourage efforts to unite and renew the church.”

The Good Book Company is looking forward to a fruitful 2018, working with Trillia, Andrew and other exceptional authors. Coming soon are titles from Al Mohler, Matt Chandler and Sinclair Ferguson.

ABOUT THE GOOD BOOK COMPANY
Founded in 1991, The Good Book Company is an international Christian publisher. Our Bible studies, books, devotionals, videos, tracts, evangelistic courses and training materials are used throughout the English-speaking world, and in translation in over 35 languages worldwide. Everyone at The Good Book Company is passionate about the Lord Jesus, His word, His church and His gospel of grace. We create and publish biblical, relevant and accessible resources that will encourage Christians to keep going, keep growing and keep sharing their faith. 

Blog: thegoodbook.com/blog
Twitter: @thegoodbookusa
Facebook: thegoodbookcomplaynorthamerica

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

This yearlong contract with FrontGate’s Social Media Division provides Deep River Books with two individual coaching sessions with each author, and a quarterly group webinar.  Deep River Books has signed a wide variety of authors, so these coaching sessions allow FrontGate to give exclusive and focused plans and input to meet each individual author’s needs and questions.  FrontGate will be assisting with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and/or LinkedIn campaigns.

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

Topics covered for authors may include social media strategy, content development, engagement, execution and analysis.

“Many of our authors have stated that social media is something they know they need, but may not feel like they are qualified or truly understand ways to fully utilize the platforms.” states Bill Carmichael, President of Deep River Books.
“We are excited about the value that FrontGate’s in-depth training gives to our authors to help them maximize their online potential and grow their individual brands.”

“It has never been more important for authors to develop and build their own audience through lead generation and relationship building in social media and digital communications. We love to empower authors to take control of their social media,” shares Scott A. Shuford, Founder and President of FrontGate Media. “We are excited about the excellent group of talented writers the diversity of books from Deep River Books.  We look forward to raising the tide for the whole group.”

FrontGate Media has a long history of serving Christian publishers and authors, including serving as the agency for the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s (ECPA) recent events:  The Christy Awards Gala and the launch of their inaugural Writers’ Conference which all took place in Nashville in November.

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.
Media Contact:  Lori Heiselman – 714-553-5181
Lori@FrontGateMedia.com

Nashville-based independent Christian recording artist and host of the “Live Hope Minute” radio feature, Mark Smeby, holds the honor of having his version of “Mary, Did You Know” be the most downloaded digital holiday music song on amazon.com for the fourth year in a row, topping popular artists like Mariah Carey, Burl Ives, and Gwen Stefani.

Smeby is currently traveling the country on his annual Hope of Christmas tour, visiting churches, concert halls, and prisons on his 6000-mile solo journey. He’s also promoting the December 12 release of the hardcover one-year devotional version of his Live Hope Minute radio feature which is currently heard on 250 radio outlets around the US and Canada. The book, releasing through BroadStreet Publishing is available through livehopenow.com and all major online retailers. The radio feature is also now available as a free mobile application for both Apple and Android devices, in addition to its availability as a podcast through Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio.

Additionally, Smeby is being seen on television around the world this month in the airing of the Christmas favorite “The Perfect Gift,” a motion picture addressing the conflict of culture vs. Christmas. The film, which cast Smeby as the main antagonist, also prominently features his song “Emmanuel (You Are With Me).”

Enter to receive a free copy of the Live Hope Minute devotional and get a free sample of the book, by texting LIVE to 54900 (messaging rates may apply). More information about Mark and his projects can be found at livehopenow.com, facebook.com/Smeby, or twitter.com/msmeby.

Paraclete Press is pleased to announce that debut author Katherine James has won the Christianity Today 2018 Fiction Book Award with her novel, Can You See Anything Now? (October 2017 / ISBN 978-1612619316 / Trade Paperback).

“Can You See Anything Now? marks the debut of an exciting literary talent. I hear echoes of Elizabeth Strout and Richard Russo in Katherine James’s richly detailed world, in her empathy, quiet humor, and hope. Richard Foster has said that writing is spiritual if it ‘drill[s] down into the subterranean chambers of the human soul.’ James manages this improbable task as she explores the lives of an inter-generational cast—including the irresistible Margie—drifting between the small-town foibles of Trinity and urban particularities of Manhattan. May her characters, insights, and often-striking prose find the wide audience they deserve.”
—Daniel Bowman, professor at Taylor University, writing for the award committee

James’ novel launched Paraclete’s new fiction line, and for a faith-based press with traditional leanings, the book represents not just a new direction, but a risk, considering James’ use of expletives, and themes of addiction and self-injury in the book that are unsettling to some, though important and realistic to others.

James explores grace in the midst of tragedy, and in the lives of her unforgettable, utterly ruined characters. Can You See Anything Now? follows a year in the small town of Trinity, and the lives of the suicidal painter, Margie, who has been teaching her evangelical neighbor, Etta, how to paint nudes; her husband, the town therapist who suspects his work helps no one; and their college-aged daughter, Noel, whose roommate, Pixie, joins them at home for a winter holiday. The result is a powerful novel of redemption, revealing a new author of great importance.

Author Katherine James has an MFA in fiction from Columbia University in New York City, where she received the Felipe P. De Alba Fellowship. She has been on staff with CRU, a ministry to college students, for over twenty-five years. She is a member of Redbud Writers Guild, and is senior editor for CruPress. Her memoir about the opioid epidemic in the suburbs of Philadelphia and the ways that it affected her family will be published by Paraclete in the fall of 2018. Learn more about the book here.

Can You See Anything Now?
October 2017, Trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-61261-931-6
Author photo credit: Dorothy Greco
​
​For more information contact Laura McKendree
lauram@paracletepress.com, (800) 451-5006 x 316

Carol Steam, Ill. — The latest album from U2 entitled Songs of Experience is expected to top the Billboard 200 chart for the week of December 23, 2017. This is no surprise, given the Irish rock band’s history of producing No. 1 albums: already, the group boasts seven No. 1 albums to its credit. What is surprising is the special shout-out in the liner notes to The Message Bible.

Lead singer and activist Bono has been a fan of Eugene Peterson’s Bible paraphrase The Message for nearly twenty years. Now, in the liner notes, Bono shares with his audience how Peterson’s translation of Psalm 100 resonates with him: “In The Message . . .  I read Psalm 100: ‘Enter with the password: “Thank You!” Make yourselves at home.’”

Bono has enthusiastically endorsed The Message on many occasions, stating, “It has been a great strength to me. . . . [Eugene Peterson has] brought the text back to the tone in which the books were written.”[1] In his foreword to The Message 100, Bono recalls, “I discovered Eugene Peterson’s The Message through the Psalms. In the dressing room before a show, we would read them as a band.” In 2016, Bono and Peterson met to discuss their love of the Psalms in a short film called, “The Psalms.”

During a videotaped testimonial celebrating The Message’s publication, Bono explained that as a songwriter, it was very clear to him that Peterson is “a poet as well as a scholar.” The singer expressed appreciation to Peterson for the artistry and conversational tone of his translation of Scripture, saying:

“You brought the musicality to God’s Word that I’m sure was there, was always there in intention. There have been some great translations, some very literary translations, but no translations that I’ve read that speaks to me in my own language. So I want to thank you for that.”

For more information about The Message, visit NavPress.com.

The NavPress mission is to advance the calling of The Navigators by bringing biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical products to people who want to know and love Christ more deeply. Through The Message Bible and other insightful resources, NavPress seeks to bring positive spiritual movement to peoples’ lives. In January 2014, NavPress entered into an alliance with Tyndale House Publishers to strengthen and better position NavPress and its rich content for the future. NavPress provides books and other content that bring spiritual impact, life transformation, and help lead in the mission of making disciples. 

 

[1] “Eugene Peterson: U2 Connections,” @U2, https://www.atu2.com/news/connections/peterson/

The Message Bible is a NavPress resource published in alliance with Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

NAVPRESS and the NAVPRESS logo are registered trademarks of NavPress, The Navigators, Colorado Springs, CO.

WESTMONT, IL—The Gospel Coalition honored two InterVarsity Press titles, In Search of Ancient Roots and The Economics of Neighborly Love, with 2017 TGC Book Awards.

TGC editor Ivan Mesa said, “Each year we review around three hundred titles between our academic journal Themelios and our regular book reviews section, so at the end of the year it’s good to take stock of the most helpful titles from 2017.”

In Search of Ancient Roots: The Christian Past and Evangelical Identity Crisis by Kenneth J. Stewart was the winner in the History & Biography category. Stewart surveys five centuries of Protestant engagement with the ancient church, showing that Christians belonging to the evangelical churches of the Reformation have consistently seen their faith as connected to early Christianity. Stewart explores areas of positive engagement, such as the Lord’s Supper and biblical interpretation, as well as areas that raise concerns, such as monasticism.

Gavin Ortlund reviewed Stewart’s book for TGC in November and said, “In Search of Ancient Roots is a helpful resource that not only provides context for understanding evangelical departures, but also envisions the kind of robust, historically rooted Protestantism that may discourage them from happening in the first place.”

The Economics of Neighborly Love: Investing in Your Community’s Compassion and Capacity by Tom Nelson was chosen as the runner-up in the Public Theology & Current Events category. Marrying biblical study, economic theory, and practical advice, Nelson presents a vision for church ministry that works toward the flourishing of the local community, beginning with its poorest and most marginalized members. Nelson resists oversimplification and pushes us toward more complex and nuanced understandings of wealth and poverty.

Tim Keller, pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, said, “Tom Nelson’s new book is a great contribution to a growing and needed literature that helps churches connect to their parishes and neighborhoods and serve not only individuals, but the public good. There is an emerging awareness of the importance of this, but few volumes are as practical as this one in describing the way forward.”

TGC winners and runners-up were chosen based on whether they offer gospel-centered argument and application; include faithful and foundational use of Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament; foster spiritual discernment of contemporary trials and trends; and encourage efforts to unite and renew the church.

Founded in 1947 as an extension of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, InterVarsity Press 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: Krista Clayton
630.734.4013 | kclayton@ivpress.com