The Voice to Release November 6, 2018

Grand Rapids, Mich., June 13, 2018 — In a Facebook Live video last night, Christian music icon and forty-time Dove award winner, Sandi Patty revealed the cover to her upcoming memoir and also announced a foreword by Kathie Lee Gifford. The Voice: Listening for God’s Voice and Finding Your Own releases from Zondervan on November 6, 2018. To watch the video, click here.

In the foreword, Gifford writes, “ What you are about to discover about Sandi in this book will shock you, upset you, and ultimately make you rejoice in the power of a life lived well with God…. Sandi’s story is one of deep suffering that even those closest to her never fathomed. I am so happy that this extraordinary woman is finally able to tell her story full throttle and unafraid.”

In The Voice, Sandi shares deeply intimate stories of her life and the empowering spiritual truths she’s learned. She offers readers wisdom to navigate the journey from voicelessness to discovering the voice God has given you. With a poignant history of sexual abuse, infidelity, divorce and crises of self-image, Sandi lived much of her life feeling unworthy of love or value. And like so many of us, she coped by living through the voices of others, allowing other people to prescribe her identity. As she performed around the world, Sandi met others just like her, who hid wounds behind quiet smiles and struggled to live with fractured identities.

Zondervan is a world leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications.  Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, Mich.  For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.

Media:  To request an advanced copy of the manuscript or an interview, please contact Robin Barnett at robin.barnett@harpercollins.com or Heidi McDow at Heidi@alarryross.com.

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) June 2018 – Worthy Publishing is pleased to announce that My First Day of School, written by Michelle Medlock Adams, has won the 2018 Selah Award for Children’s Picture Books. Hosted annually by the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference, the Selah Awards recognize high-quality Christian books across a variety of genres.

Veteran author Michelle Medlock Adams is no stranger to the Selah Awards. Several of her previous titles have been Selah Award finalists and winners, including God Knows You, which won the 2014 Selah Book of the Year Award.

“Michelle brings great enthusiasm and heart to her books, which makes her a joy to work with, and also results in books that children love,” says Peggy Schaefer, Vice President & Associate Publisher, WorthyKids/Ideals. “We are thrilled to see Michelle’s work honored in this way.”

A board book that tackles first-day jitters, My First Day of School was chosen by the award committee from among hundreds of books. The story follows a young boy as he explores his classroom, makes new friends, and enjoys all the creative and interesting activities school can offer. The book helps first-time students, from preschoolers to kindergartners, understand what happens at school, while providing parents the opportunity to answer any questions their child may have. With a relatable narrator and cheerful illustrations, My First Day of School helps soon-to-be students overcome their fears and look forward to school with excitement.

The full listing of 2018 Selah Award winners can be found on the Awards’ Facebook page.

Michelle Medlock Adams began her career in journalism; but when she had two children of her own, she quickly turned to writing children’s books, including the successful What Is . . . series for WorthyKids/Ideals. Michelle has two grown daughters and lives in Bedford, Indiana, with her husband, Jeff.

Worthy Publishing Group is a privately held, independent voice in inspirational publishing, based in Nashville, Tennessee. Worthy includes four imprints: Worthy Books publishes inspirational works addressing biblical studies, faith and culture, Christian living, fiction, and specialty Bibles; Museum of the Bible Books is a partnership between Worthy and the Museum, publishing books that reveal the history, narrative, and impact of the Bible; Ellie Claire produces beautifully crafted journals, gifts, and paper expressions; and WorthyKids/Ideals creates colorful, interactive children’s books, including VeggieTales and Berenstain Bears, for ages 1 to 9.

New leader arrives from senior executive role at partner Bible Society, inspired by ‘transforming hope of God’s Word’ 

CAROL STREAM, ILL.—June 15, 2018—Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck, coauthors of the award-winning title I’ll Push You (Tyndale Momentum, June 2017), will be attending the Abilities Expo in Schaumburg, IL, June 29–July 1.  In addition to their appearance at the Abilities Expo, Gray and Skeesuck will be touring the Chicago area sharing their message about powerful friendship that knows no bounds in their new release for children, The Push (Tyndale Kids, April 2018).  The Push, written by Gray and illustrated by Skeesuck, is a complementary title to I’ll Push You, which the authors hope broadens their story of extraordinary friendship to reach the hearts of children.

I’ll Push You documents the lifelong friendship between these two men and their impossible dream—tackling together a 500-mile pilgrimage through Spain known as the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James. While most people attempt this epic journey on foot, Justin traveled the entire distance in his wheelchair, pushed (and sometimes carried) by Patrick (and others).  This incredible story garnered national media attention on NBC’s Today and NBC’s Megyn Kelly Today.

With the release of their second book, The Push, Gray and Skeesuck hope to extend this important message of friendship and inclusion to kids.  The Push teaches kids that people of all abilities have important roles to play and that we are all better together than we are on our own.

Kristi Gravemann, Marketing Manager for Tyndale Kids, says, “The Push children’s book is based on Justin and Patrick’s inspiring, real-life friendship. We hope this book encourages children of all abilities to see that we each have gifts and talents to offer one another and that we all have something meaningful to contribute. We are thrilled that Justin and Patrick will be in the Chicago area spreading this hope-filled message to families.”

During their Chicago tour, Gray and Skeesuck will be sharing their story at the following locations:

Wednesday, June 27:

• 10:30am Ronald McDonald House (Chicago) for book donation

Thursday, June 28:

• 10:30am AMITA Women and Children’s (Hoffman Estates) story time
• 2:30pm Ronald McDonald House (Winfield) book donation
• 3:15pm Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital for story time and book donation

Friday, June 29:

• 11:00am–4:00pm Abilities Expo (Schaumburg)

Saturday, June 30:

• 11:00am–4:00pm Abilities Expo
• 1:30pm Story time on main stage; book signing to follow

Sunday, July 1:

• 10:15am Lurie Children’s Hospital for story time and book donation
• 12:30p–4:00pm Abilities Expo
• 1:30pm Story time on main stage; book signing to follow

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 Kids, Family, & Youth was formed out of Dr. Ken Taylor’s desire to make God’s Word more accessible to his children. This legacy continues with our award-winning and bestselling picture books, devotions, and Bible storybooks that encourage kids and families to grow closer to God.  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.

For media inquiries: contact Amanda Woods at 630-784-5125 or amandawoods@tyndale.com

Author and well-known podcaster Jamie Ivey has announced that her June pick for “The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey Summer Book Club” is WaterBrook’s very own NO ONE EVER ASKED (4/3/18) by Katie Ganshert.

“I read it sometime this spring, and really, really enjoyed it,” Ivey shared in a Facebook Live video with her book club group of more than 2,200 members June 1. “I hope it causes you to think about some things that maybe you hadn’t thought about before, and I hope it helps you maybe see people and systems a little bit different.”

While Ivey will hold a formal book discussion at the end of June, book club members are already raving about No One Ever Asked, saying:

• “The book did a great job showing the challenges multi-racial families have.”
• “This book was so good. The story is so important. It must be told.”
• “I absolutely could not put it down.”

Ivey also held an Instagram Live interview with Ganshert on June 6 with her 57,000 Instagram followers. Ivey introduced Ganshert to her audience, and the two discussed the inspiration behind the book, each of their adoption experiences, and how No One Ever Asked would tie into the summer book club theme of racial justice.

Echoing real-world events, No One Ever Asked is a riveting tale about the way we see one another, the lies we tell, and the tragedies that result from our blindness. It draws readers into a story of three starkly different women whose lives collide when an impoverished Missouri school district loses its accreditation and the nearby affluent community has no choice but to open their school doors.

To sign up or find more information about the book club, visit www.jamieivey.com/join-the-book-club. For more information about No One Ever Asked, visit www.waterbrookmultnomah.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  KATIE GANSHERT is the award-winning author of Life After, multiple short stories and several additional acclaimed novels, including the Christy Award-winning A Broken Kind of Beautiful and Carol Award-winner, The Art of Losing Yourself. Ganshert lives in eastern Iowa with her family. For more information, visit www.katieganshert.com.

Contact: Chelsea Woodward, Associate Publicist  
cwoodward@penguinrandomhouse.com  (719) 268-1915

Minneapolis, MN – Sarah Philpott, author of Loved Baby: 31 Devotions Helping You Grieve and Cherish Your Child After Pregnancy Loss (BroadStreet Publishing), had the honor of receiving two awards at the 2018 SELAH Awards—one for best book in the Inspiration & Gift category and another for Book of the Year! Held annually at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference each year, the SELAH Awards are presented to books within Christian publishing that are considered excellent in their genre.

Loved Baby is a book that offers much-needed support to women in the middle of psychological and physiological grief as a result of losing a child during pregnancy. In the book, Sarah Philpott gently walks alongside women as they experience the misguided shame, isolation, and crushing despair that accompany the turmoil of loss. With brave vulnerability, Sarah shares storiesthat offer Christ-filled hope and support to women navigating grief.

Kelly O’Dell Stanly, author of Praying Upside Down, says, “Our culture programs us to feel as though motherhood should be all sunshine and roses—breakfasts in bed made by beaming, freshly-bathed children. We learn to think that a woman cannot fulfill her God-given destiny unless she nurtures the lives God enabled her to bear. And yet, when one of those lives is lost, the world suddenly goes quiet, leaving these women alone and suffering. Through Sarah’s words in Loved Baby, you will realize that you’re not called to forget but to welcome God into your pain. You can remember and honor and grieve and be made whole again. With God, even this is possible. Step into these pages like you’re walking into God’s comforting embrace because that’s exactly what this book has to offer.”

To learn more about this important resource for mothers who have experienced pregnancy loss, please visit Sarah Philpott at http://allamericanmom.net/.

Publishing industry leaders, starting with John Ingram, sound off on the future of the book business in this new podcast series

Nord Compo is partnering with Publishers Weekly and Book Buddy Media to produce The Future of Publishing, a podcast series featuring interviews with leaders from across the international publishing industry. Conceived by Nord Compo’s Arnaud Lecompte, director of digital and international business development, and hosted by Larry Bennett, executive director, North America, these interviews will look ahead to developments likely to shape publishing over the next three to 10 years.

“Our goal is to have a wide diversity of opinions and perspectives from industry leaders across multiple disciplines,” Bennett says. “Accordingly, our initial interviewees include leaders in e-book publishing and distribution, the top distributors to mass and traditional markets, the preeminent digital print provider, and a leading children’s book publisher. In future podcasts, we intend to include thought leaders from complementary disciplines that influence book publishing, including content creation and technology.”

The Future of Publishing will explore the publishing industry broadly, extrapolating from today’s trends and imagining what will be important to the book business throughout the world in the coming years. The goal of the series is to enable industry leaders to share insights, experiences, and useful information and thereby stimulate conversation among industry professionals.

Nord Compo is a leading supplier of prepress composition, digital, and editorial services for publishers. With 50 years of experience and more than 500 full-time employees, Nord Compo services many industry leaders, including Elsevier, Hachette, Ingram, Pottermore, Princeton University Press, Sourcebooks, and Springer. Seattle-based Book Buddy Media, which handles podcast production for The Future of Publishing, is a major supplier of high-quality audiobooks specializing in, but not limited to, the K–12 market.

“Our once-staid industry has been going through major changes since the 1950s, when a majority of trade books were sold through department stores like Macy’s,” Bennett says. “The pace of change seems to be accelerating in this century, with the advent of the internet, e-books, digital printing, and industry consolidation. We thought it would be interesting to get industry leaders’ perspectives on where we are heading.”

The debut podcast, featuring a conversation with Ingram Content Group chairman John Ingram, launches today. Visit publishersweekly.com/nordcompo.

The industry is invited to nominate the year’s best book covers until August 31

ECPA created the Top Shelf Book Cover Awards to honor the role of good design in Christian book publishing. Each year covers are judged by a new team of top design professionals, whose reputations are renown throughout the entire design industry, to choose the year’s best book designs published by ECPA members.

“It is imperative the judges of Top Shelf have the insight needed to judge other’s work in this space,” states Torrey Sharp, Principal of Faceout Studio. “It’s not easy being a judge. It takes a deep understanding of what design is meant to accomplish, the landscape of publishing and ultimate impartiality.”

Sharp, who shared his connections and expertise to recruit the program’s judges, continues:

“This year’s judges are consummate creatives, highly successful in their own right and lovers of the craft. I’m really excited they have agreed to participate this year.”

They are:  Gabrielle Wilson, Sarah Dubbeldam, and Nate Salciccioli. Each of their full bios and designs are listed on the program website.

“Recently I spotted a headline on a well-known lifestyle magazine that read, Beautiful Design Matters Now More Than Ever,” said Stan Jantz, executive director of ECPA. “That same principle easily applies to books, which is why the Top Shelf Award program is so important for our industry. Book cover design matters more than ever because readers value what it says about the message that’s inside.”

Top Shelf winners are officially announced and presented with an award at ECPA’s annual PubU on November 6-7. Winning covers are also featured in an Annual designed by Faceout Studio and printed by Color House Graphics.

Nominate a cover design until August 31.  More

PubU will be held November 6-7 at Lipscomb University, Nashville

The industry’s premier training and networking event for publishing practitioners, ECPA PubU, will be held November 6-7 on the beautiful campus of Lipscomb University in Nashville.  The event will host more than 40 sessions about the industry’s most pressing topics in marketing, sales, publicity, editorial, design, rights, reader engagement, production, data, delivery, workflow, digital, and more.

This year’s program will also feature a closing keynote by StoryBrand CEO and author Donald Miller.

Each year, a “Brain Trust” of industry leaders is formed to recruit speakers, develop topics, and plan the event. Heading up this year’s Brain Trust is Dave Schroeder, VP of Marketing at B&H Publishing Group, who returns a second year to lead the program.

“We are so pleased to introduce the 2018 PubU Brain Trust and appreciate the return of Dave Schroeder’s enthusiastic and creative leadership,” states ECPA executive director Stan Jantz.

“This program is the most altruistic 24 hours in the entire industry because it is the culmination of hundreds of volunteer hours by 50+ volunteers, led by a core of publishing leaders, all sharing their expertise and connections for the benefit of strengthening each other and the industry.  How can anyone want to miss an experience like this?”

The following industry leaders will serve as the 2018 PubU Brain Trust:

• DAVE SCHROEDER, VP of Marketing, B&H Publishing Group (Marketing/Publicity/Sales sessions and Brain Trust Lead)
• JERRI HELMS, Sr. Director of Digital Marketing Strategy, HarperCollins Christian Publishing (Reader Engagement sessions)
• MELINDA BOUMA, Publisher, Zondervan Bibles (Editorial sessions)
• JOSH DENNIS, Executive VP/Creative, Crossway (Design sessions)
• GEORGE ROACH, International Rights Manager, Tyndale House Publishers (Rights sessions)
• KRISTEN MCLEAN, Exec. Director of Business Development, NPD Book
  (Data, Delivery & Workflow sessions)
• JOSHUA TALLENT, Director of Outreach and Education, Firebrand Technologies (Data, Delivery & Workflow sessions)
• AMY GREEN, Fiction Publicist, Bethany House Publishers
  (Art of Writing conference held for publishers & writers after PubU)

PubU’s signature value is learning from industry colleagues and leaders through panels, Q&A, sessions, and discussions about best practices, case studies, and challenges they’ve faced and overcome. Early bird registration will open soon.

Sign up for program updates at ECPAPubU.org.