WESTMONT, IL—InterVarsity Press is pleased to congratulate art director David Fassett for his work on four designs that were chosen for 2017 Top Shelf Book Cover Awards by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). Judges chose sixteen books, one Bible, and a book of Psalms to represent the year’s best designs. Fassett received the most awards of all the designers represented.

The Top Shelf Award program is managed by ECPA in order to recognize design excellence in the Christian publishing industry. “The Top Shelf award program continues to honor and celebrate art, design, and creativity in Christian publishing,”  said Stan Jantz, ECPA executive director. “The caliber of these winning designs is testament to the extreme talent and expertise in our industry.”

Fassett’s four award-winning cover designs include

• The Decalogue: Living as the People of God by David L. Baker
• Recapturing the Wonder: Transcendent Faith in a Disenchanted World by Mike Cosper
• Introduction to Political Science: A Christian Perspective by Fred Van Geest
• Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering by Kelly M. Kapic

“When he was hired more than seven years ago as a graphic designer for marketing materials, David Fassett quickly distinguished himself with exceptional work on our catalogs, advertisements, and sales collaterals,” Jeff Crosby, IVP’s publisher, said. “In recent years David has elevated his contribution significantly through the creation of powerful cover designs for both academic and trade titles. He was a student of design as an undergraduate and that impulse to stay abreast of design trends and deploy them through his work has clearly been recognized by his peers who have awarded these Top Shelf Awards. We are grateful for the recognition David has received and, even more, for his contribution to our work and mission at InterVarsity Press.”

ECPA announced the winners of this year’s awards on November 7 at Lipscomb University in Nashville during the opening session of ECPA PubU. Winning book covers are featured at TopShelfAwards.org. 

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

Tyndale Fiction Author Wins in General Fiction and Short Form Categories

CAROL STREAM, Ill.—November 10, 2017—Tyndale House Publishers is pleased to announce that Tyndale fiction author Chris Fabry received two Christy Awards™ at the Christy Award Gala hosted by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) on November 8. The Christy Awards celebrate excellence in Christian fiction and honor the power of story. The 18th annual Christy Award Gala was held at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., and was hosted by Fabry, bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, and Christian recording artist and author Andrew Peterson.

Fabry received his awards for two novels in separate categories. He won in the general fiction category for his novel The Promise of Jesse Woods, which Booklist called a “riveting, no-punches-pulled coming-of-age tale,” and in the short form category for Looking into You, a poignant story about the power of a mother’s love and fear. Karen Watson, publisher of Tyndale fiction, shared, “We are thrilled for Chris, in winning two prestigious Christy Awards for these exceptional novels.”

Chris Fabry, an accomplished writer and radio talk show host of Chris Fabry Live, is a 1982 graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and a native of West Virginia. His most recent Christy Awards are just two of several awards he has received, including three previous Christy Awards and an ECPA Fiction Book of the Year Award, but it’s his lyrical prose and tales of redemption that keep readers returning for more. Fabry has published eighty books, including nonfiction and novels for children and young adults. Go to www.chrisfabry.com to learn more about Chris Fabry and preorder his newest title, Under a Cloudless Sky, releasing in January 2018.

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international nonprofit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. ECPA.org

The Christy Award™ is the foremost award honoring and promoting excellence in Christian fiction since 1999, and is named for Catherine Marshall’s novel, Christy, which has sold over 10 million copies since its publication in 1967. ECPA assumed ownership and administration of the award in 2017 to focus and grow the unique opportunity of fiction in Christian publishing. ChristyAwards.com

Tyndale House Publishers, founded in 1962, is the world’s largest privately held Christian publisher of books, Bibles, and digital media. Tyndale has published many New York Times bestsellers. The largest portion of its profit goes to the nonprofit Tyndale House Foundation, which makes grants to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world. Tyndale was founded to publish Living Letters, which later comprised part of 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 more information on Tyndale fiction titles, please visit www.tyndalefiction.com.

WESTMONT, IL— InterVarsity Press is pleased to announce that The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege by Ken Wytsma earned a spot inPublishers Weekly’s list of top one hundred books of 2017 as one of the five best religion titles of the year.

“Such an unexpected blessing!” Wytsma said.

Al Hsu, senior editor for IVP said, “I’m thrilled that Ken’s book has received this recognition. His keen insight is just what our conflicted society needs. Congrats, Ken!”

In this timely book Wytsma unpacks what we need to know to be grounded in conversations about today’s race-related issues. He also helps us come to a deeper understanding of both the origins of these issues and the reconciling role we are called to play.

The June 2017 Publishers Weekly starred review of The Myth of Equality said: “Wytsma (Pursuing Justice), lead pastor of Antioch Church in Bend, Ore., and president of Kilns College, has a gift for persuasive argument, well displayed in his deployment of history, biblical theology, and current affairs to demonstrate the subtle and unsubtle ways that white dominance shapes American culture and conversations about race. He does so from the perspective of a passionately committed evangelical Christian calling prophetically for justice for those who have been consistently disadvantaged by a system and culture built on ‘a white normative standard’ that shapes perceptions and judgments. Wytsma makes his points without accusation, the better to address an audience of white readers who may be unaccustomed to looking beneath the surface of attitudes about race or unaware of the history of Jim Crow laws and other forces that have driven racial segregation. His tour of the post-Reconstruction history of race is a neat synthesis of history. Slavery was formally ended, but disenfranchisement (“Black Codes” in the South, redlining in housing, and other forms of social control) perpetuated inequality. This book should be a wake-up call to Christian communities nationwide.”

Wytsma said, “I’m hoping that The Myth of Equality can serve as an introduction for people who feel that something is wrong, are looking for a way to understand some of the roots, or are looking for language to make sense of their experience.”

Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology at Yale University said, “The Myth of Equality is written so skillfully that it’s easy to miss how much it accomplishes . . . I have no doubt that some readers will be angered by the claim that they participate in and benefit from structures of racism and white privilege, well supported though that claim is. I predict that there will be more who are convinced and inspired by the patient, passionate, and nondefensive way in which Wytsma makes his case. It’s a book that someone had to write.”

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.

Media Contact: Krista Clayton
630.734.4013  kclayton@ivpress.com

Industry Veteran Jeff Tegge Joins Team

Baker & Taylor Publisher Services, the premier provider of full-service sales and distribution for client publishers, has named Jeff Tegge its new vice president of client services.

Tegge will focus on leveraging the full spectrum of Baker & Taylor and Follett solutions to achieve greater sales for BTPS publisher clients. He will also represent BTPS titles to the public library, K-12, and higher education markets.

Tegge comes to BTPS with more than 25 years of industry experience, most recently as president of Legato Publishers Group and prior to that as vice president of sales at Independent Publishers Group.

He joins BTPS reporting to Mark Suchomel, senior vice president of sales and client services.

“It is an exciting time at Baker & Taylor and Follett and I am thrilled to join the BTPS team,” said Tegge. “The solutions we can provide client publishers are deep and the service is at a level unique to our industry.”

“Jeff will be a key asset to our BTPS team,” said Mark Suchomel. “His knowledge of client needs is unsurpassed and our partners will benefit from his energy and focus.”

Baker & Taylor announced the launch of BTPS earlier this month, the new business unit offering children’s, trade, K‐12, higher education and academic publishers, and Christian publishers economical solutions for warehousing and order fulfillment, sales and marketing support, inventory management and virtual inventory programs, book manufacturing including offset and digital short run, POD, and editorial services.

BTPS is using the existing distribution assets of Bookmasters and has retired that brand as it relates to distribution and client services. The Bookmasters name will continue to represent the printing and manufacturing business, under Ken Fultz’s leadership as the senior vice president of operations.

Publishers interested in Baker & Taylor Publisher Services should contact Mark at Mark.Suchomel@baker‐taylor.com.

About Baker & Taylor
Baker & Taylor is the premier worldwide distributor of books, digital content and entertainment products from approximately 25,000 suppliers to over 20,000 customers in 120 countries. The company offers cutting‐edge digital media services and innovative technology platforms to thousands of publishers, libraries, schools and retailers worldwide. Baker & Taylor also offers industry leading customized library services and retail merchandising solutions. For more information about Baker & Taylor visit www.baker‐taylor.com. Baker & Taylor is part of Follett Corporation, the world’s largest single source of books, entertainment products, digital content and multi‐media for libraries, schools and retailers. Follett is headquartered in Westchester, Illinois. For more information about Follett, visit www.follett.com.

About Follett Corporation
Follett is a $3.4 billion privately held company headquartered in Westchester, Illinois. As a leading provider of education technology, services and physical and digital content, Follett works with 70,000 schools and operates more than 1,250 local campus stores and 1,600 virtual stores. With the 2016 acquisition of Baker & Taylor, LLC, Follett’s reach also extends into the public library and global retail markets. For more information, visit www.follett.com. For more information on our OER partnership with Lumen Learning, visit www.follett.com/lumen.

Nashville, TN, November 1, 2017 – FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group, and JellyTelly, a leading Children’s media company, have announced an innovative partnership to bring a new program of children’s books and Bibles for Christian Families to the marketplace.

This is a unique collaboration between FaithWords, a leading publisher in the Christian Inspiration market and JellyTelly, a children’s media company resourcing and inspiring Christian parents every day through video and print media experiences. This new imprint, JellyTelly Press, will bring to the market board books and coloring books for preschoolers, picture books, activity books and chapter books for elementary schoolers as well as Bibles and books for family devotionals.

“JellyTelly is excited to partner with a world-class team like FaithWords. While our JellyTelly users enjoy our streaming video service, they also want to experience the time-honored tradition of reading books together with their children. We regularly hear from our parents that books remain an important part of their family life. Our partnership with FaithWords takes advantage of our online JellyTelly platform and extends our efforts to help families have fun and experience their faith together offline. Books are a great way to do that,” said Dan Raines, President of JellyTelly.

“This new venture is being launched at an opportune moment,” said Rolf Zettersten, FaithWords publisher. “The Millennial generation is the largest in our history. These young people are now seeking inspirational resources to raise their families. We believe JellyTelly Press is coming at an ideal time for booksellers to meet their needs.”

With books written by Veggie Tales and What’s In the Bible? creator Phil Vischer and others, JellyTelly Press titles will debut in January 2019. JellyTelly Press titles will be taken market wide by the Hachette Book Group sales team and direct-to-consumer by JellyTelly.

About Faith Words
Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Group, is a leading publisher of books and resources for the Christian inspirational market. Bestselling authors include Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Joseph Prince, John C. Maxwell, and T.D. Jakes.

About JellyTelly
JellyTelly.com is a rapidly growing media company focused on helping Christian parents navigate the often-complicated world of parenting, spiritual formation, and raising great kids. It’s transmedia properties include a subscription streaming video on demand platform for kids (JellyTelly TV), a resource-rich parents blog (JellyTelly Parents), and a curated online store with the best books, toys and videos for Christian families (JellyTelly Store). JellyTelly helps families experience the goodness of God every day by inspiring, entertaining and resourcing them.

Media contact: Laini Brown
Laini.Brown@hbgusa.com  615.371.7763

(BIRMINGHAM, Ala.) October 30, 2017— Ramona Richards has been named associate publisher at New Hope^® Publishers. Joining New Hope, then a division of Woman’s Missionary Union^®, in March 2017, Richards was hired as managing editor and was promoted to associate publisher when Iron Stream Media acquired New Hope in September 2017. She has been in the Christian publishing industry for more than 35 years and has held positions with Abingdon Press, Thomas Nelson, Ideals, and many more. She will continue to serve New Hope also as acquisitions editor.

“We are blessed to have Ramona as associate publisher as New Hope begins a new and exciting chapter with Iron Stream Media,” said CEO and publisher John Herring. “Her skills, dedication, and relationships in the industry will serve New Hope well as we equip and inspire believers to grow in their relationship with the Lord and disciple those that still need to hear.”

Richards’s relationship with literary agents, authors, and other industry professionals will secure New Hope’s standing among Christian publishers and grow it toward its goal of involving readers in the mission of God as well as reaching many more with the message of the gospel.

“Working with New Hope has been an adventure from day one,” said Richards. “Their authors are the best in the business, and this is a dynamic team with remarkable plans for growth. And I’m thrilled to be back in my home state of Alabama.”

The mission of New Hope^® Publishers is to challenge readers to understand and be radically involved in the mission of God. A division of Iron Stream Media, New Hope’s books have received critical acclaim and won several awards. In 2009 and 2015, New Hope was chosen as publisher of the year by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA). Representing more than seventy authors and more than two hundred individual works, New Hope is a member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) and is located in Birmingham, Alabama.