International speaker and author, Darrow, encourages women to reclaim true and lasting beauty through God’s love and His design for our lives in THE OTHER SIDE OF BEAUTY

November 7, 2017 (Nashville, TN) – A former contestant on America’s Next Top Model, Leah Darrow experienced what most young women experience: the pressure to be physically perfect. She presumed being thin and beautiful meant being happy too—and that if she reached a certain level of success, she would receive the kind of love and validation she’d always craved. She followed this train of thought all the way to New York City, where she hoped to make her mark as a model—but the road was painful, disillusioning, and ultimately destructive.

The Other Side of Beauty (Thomas Nelson, ISBN 978-0718090661), set to release on November 21, 2017, is a unique and compelling look into the world of manufactured beauty. As Leah faced the truth—that the modeling world left her cold, empty, objectified, and unfulfilled—she gave it up in favor of God’s design for her.

As she dismantles the lies that keep women captive to ever-shifting definitions of secular beauty, she reminds them that their ultimate dream—to be validated and loved for who they are—can only be found in the arms of a merciful, unconditionally loving Savior. Darrow explores what true, everlasting beauty is—the kind that reflects God’s perfect glory and the inherent dignity in his unique, lovingly crafted children.

In The Other Side of Beauty, Darrow explains the tragedy of the pursuit of beauty today, “We look to the world for answers, for help, to be validated, to be told we are good, beautiful, and worthy. But instead, we develop a sense of inadequacy that we believe can only be cured by a product, a look, or a lifestyle.” While the desire for beauty isn’t a bad thing, Darrow reminds us to find beauty in ways beyond the superficial, including:

• Choosing true friends who challenge us and keep us accountable
• Living a life of simplicity instead of excess
• Being generous with our gifts, including our time
• Embracing pain and difficulty with grace, reminding us that suffering can be beautiful

“If we dare to call ourselves a Christian,” Darrow urges, “every detail of our life should be a reflection of this truth.” The way we look and the way we dress are simply a shell, but true beauty is found in the pursuit of holiness. As Christians, we’re called to live a beautiful life and reminding ourselves to offer our lives to Him allows us to embrace the beauty and love that is in perfect community with God.

Darrow reminds women that they are the guardians of beauty in today’s world. As the targets of countless advertisements, she believes “it should be us who reclaim beauty and remind the world that we are more than a collection of parts, that beauty is beyond the physical, and our value, worth, and identity are not based on any ideas created by a marketing agency but on the word of the Almighty.”

While Darrow’s journey highlights the flaws in society’s depiction of beauty, her book offers ways for women to live out the beauty they are called to embrace, including how to:

• Appreciate your own uniqueness
• Stop comparing yourself to others
• Learn to forgive your own past mistakes
• Protect yourself from outside triggers, including social media trends like ‘fitspo’
• Accept Christ’s love and healing in your life

Instead of falling prey to the unrealistic expectations of our society, Darrow encourages women to be proactive. Faith requires action, and she reminds women that, “We cannot expect different results from our lives if we do nothing to change them. If we want a better life, then something has to change.”

For more information, visit www.TheOtherSideofBeauty.com.

Leah Darrow, a former model and contestant on Cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model, has a driving passion to inspire women to do something beautiful with their lives. She is an international speaker, writer, and host of the Do Something Beautiful podcast. She is a wife to a US Army Green Beret and mom to three marvelous, crazy little kids, and together they live in St. Louis, Missouri. Follow Leah as she helps readers live truly beautiful lives that ultimately point to God on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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

MEDIA CONTACT:  Morgan Canclini-Mitchell  morgan@twopr.com  817-944-1071

Nashville, Tennessee (December 1, 2017)–B&H Publishing Group is proud to announce that two of our titles received the 2017 Top Shelf Book Cover Awards: the She Reads Truth Bible and The Lost Sermons of C.H. Spurgeon Volume 1 Collector’s Edition. The Top Shelf Book Cover Awards are presented by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) and recognize outstanding book cover design in the Christian publishing industry.

Eighteen titles were recognized at ECPA’s annual PubU conference on November 6; a complete list of winners can be found here.

“B&H is honored to win these two awards for our cover art, and I am so grateful for the good work that has gone into these designs,” said Trevin Wax, Holman Bibles publisher. “We hope the compelling designs draw people into the life-changing words found in these great resources.”

The She Reads Truth Bible is edited by Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams from She Reads Truth^™. Since its release in April 2017, the She Reads Truth Bible has held a spot on the ECPA bestseller list every month. One of the first Bibles to publish exclusively in the Christian Standard Bible translation, the She Reads Truth Bible sold more than 100,000 copies in its first six months of sales.

ECPA also recognized B&H for its cover design of the introductory title in a nine-volume series, The Lost Sermons of C.H. Spurgeon.

“Our design team was given photographic reference of 11 time-worn Victorian-era journals containing early sermons by Charles Spurgeon,” said Jade Novak, product designer for B&H. “We commissioned an artisan to recreate the marbled paper cover patterns and we worked with Cromwell Leather Group to match leather colors to the original series’ spines.”

B&H released other Spurgeon-related resources this year, including the CSB Spurgeon Study Bible and Steal Away Home: Unlikely Friends on the Passage to Freedom. B&H also hosted its first-ever Charles Spurgeon Conference in England this past summer.

“This certainly has been the year of Charles Spurgeon for LifeWay and we are incredibly grateful for the response to these beautiful, undiscovered sermons,” said Jim Baird, B&H Academic publisher.

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.

Media Contact: Jenaye White  Jenaye.White@BHPublishingGroup.com  615-251-2964  www.bhpublishinggroup.com

(Phoenix, AZ)  Steve Laube, president of The Steve Laube Agency, has announced the acquisition of the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency.

Les Stobbe has been a part of the Christian publishing industry for 62 years, starting as an editor and book buyer, then publisher, book coach, ghostwriter, and the last 25 as a literary agent. Les has been awarded five Lifetime Achievement Awards by writers’ conferences in the U.S. and Canada. This sale will allow him to focus his future efforts on becoming available as a non-fiction ghostwriter, writing coach and title development specialist. He said, “I have the utmost respect for my brother in Christ, Steve Laube. I’ve known him for almost 30 years. His agency’s oversight will guarantee that my clients will have top level representation for years to come.”

Steve Laube said, “I’m always looking for ways to increase the services our agency provides to current and potential clients. By adding more than 75 authors to our agency, we can create more synergy with our publishing partners and maximize clients’ sales. We look forward to working with these exceptional authors to develop and guide their publishing efforts and extend their reach in multiple markets. This purchase moves us further to fulfill our mission to help change the world, word by word.”

Laube referred to Les Stobbe as “one of the great icons of our industry,” adding that “his legacy to authors and publishing has had far-reaching impact.”

Founded in 2004, The Steve Laube Agency has secured publishing contracts for over 1,500 new books. These include bestselling titles from authors like Lisa Bergren, Nancy Pearcey, Lynette Eason, Susan May Warren, William Lane Craig, A.W. Tozer, Elizabeth Camden, Mary Hunt, Kim Vogel Sawyer, Hugh Ross, Ronie Kendig, Susie Larson, Deborah Raney, Chris Hudson, Roseanna White, and Stephen M. Miller.

Ada, Mich. (November 27, 2017)—Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is pleased to announce that Suzanne Woods Fisher has reached a significant sales milestone of one million copies sold!

Fisher is an award-winning author of more than two dozen novels and is ranked as one of the top five inspirational Amish fiction writers. Her novels, with both historical and contemporary settings, include the bestselling Amish Beginnings series, The Bishop’s Family series, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series. Her newest novel, Phoebe’s Light (Revell; ISBN 9780800721626; ebook ISBN 9781493412495; $15.99), releases February 2018, the first book in her new Quaker series entitled Nantucket Legacy.

In addition to her well-loved novels, Fisher has also written a selection of nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peaceand The Heart of the Amish. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Facebook @SuzanneWoodsFisherAuthor and Twitter @suzannewfisher.

Andrea Doering, executive editor for Revell, stated, “It’s been exciting to watch Suzanne’s readership grow and deepen with every release—and we all look forward to reading each book as much as her many fans!”

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, publishes books that help bring the Christian faith to everyday life. Whether through fiction, Christian living, self-help, marriage, family, or youth books, each Revell publication reflects relevance, integrity, and excellence.

Baker Publishing Group publishes high-quality writings that represent historic Christianity and serve the diverse interests and concerns of evangelical readers.

Contact: Karen Steele, (616)676-9185 x100, ksteele@bakerpublishinggroup.com

As the latest Hollywood hit, “The Man Who Invented Christmas,” opens this weekend, Paraclete Press is preparing digital and social media tie-ins for a new illustrated edition of A Christmas Carol that includes engravings from the original 1843 book.

“Dickens is one of the most enduring classic authors, and this is Dickens’s most memorable work. We wanted to create a memorable edition of what is already a Christmas treasure,” says Jon M. Sweeney, Paraclete’s publisher and editor-in-chief.

Who can resist the story of the bad-tempered Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation into a kinder and more loving version of himself? Then there are the visiting ghosts of past, present, and future, the deeply good Bob Cratchit, and his iconic son Tiny Tim. With period illustrations in a beautiful book package, this new edition of A Christmas Carol will help create or revive family traditions with Christmas.

“We even imagine—and hope—that families will once again begin to read books like this aloud,” concludes Sweeney.

For more information, contact Sr. Antonia Cleverly, srantonia@paracletepress.com, (508) 255-4685 x 329​​

Ada, Mich. (November 21, 2017)—Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is pleased to announce that they have signed a new three-book contract with Sheila Walsh.

Releasing over the next few years, these three new books by Walsh will focus on a variety of topics related to the Christian life. In the first book, I’m Not Okay and That’s Okay: Moving Forward One Day at a Time, Walsh walks alongside women, helping them understand that it’s never too late to start again, and there is healing and freedom in just taking the first step. I’m Not Okay and That’s Okay will release in October 2018 and will be promoted on the TV show Walsh cohosts, “LIFE Today with James and Betty Robison.”

“Our entire team at Baker is honored to partner with Sheila,” says Rebekah Guzman, senior acquisitions editor for Baker Books. “She is a true encourager and seeks to help women in every season of life. We’re thrilled to be working with someone with such talent, passion, and enthusiasm. Readers will immediately find a part of their story in Sheila’s and be inspired to move forward each day with grace and courage.”

Sheila Walsh is a Scottish lass known as “the encourager” to the over 5.5 million women she’s met and spoken to around the world. She loves being a Bible teacher, making God’s Word practical, and sharing her own story of how God met her when she was at her lowest point and lifted her up again. Sheila has sold more than five million books, including her most recent, In the Middle of the Mess: Strength for this Beautiful, Broken Life (2017). She is also the co-host of the television program “LIFE Today,” airing in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia. Calling Texas home, Sheila lives in Dallas with her husband, Barry; her son, Christian; and three little dogs.

Baker Books has a vision for building up the body of Christ through books that are relevant, intelligent, and engaging. We publish titles for lay Christians on topics such as discipleship, apologetics, spirituality, relationships, marriage, parenting, and the intersection of Christianity and culture. Learn more at www.BakerBooks.com.

Contact: Brianna DeWitt  (616)676-9185 x395  bdewitt@bakerpublishinggroup.com

Ada, Mich. (November 21, 2017)—Called to Create: A Biblical Invitation to Create, Innovate, and Risk (Baker Books; ISBN 9780801075186; ebook ISBN 9781493409327; $15.99) by Jordan Raynor has landed on the Publishers Weekly Bestsellers list, achieving the #17 spot on the Trade Paper list. This ranking reflects sales for the week ending November 12, 2018.

In this energizing book, Jordan Raynor helps artists, entrepreneurs, writers, and other creatives reimagine our work as service to God and others. Called to Create includes compelling stories from an eclectic group of 40+ Christian entrepreneurs, including the founders of TOMS Shoes, Charity: Water, Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out Burger, Guinness, HTC, and Sevenly as well as nontraditional entrepreneurs such as C. S. Lewis, Johann Sebastian Bach, and J. R. R. Tolkien. 

Jordan Raynor is a serial entrepreneur and bestselling author who leads a growing community of Christians following God’s call to create. He currently serves as the CEO of the venture-backed tech startup, Threshold 360. He is also a cofounder of Citizinvestor, the world’s largest crowdfunding platform for government projects. His book Startup Stories debuted in the #1 bestseller spot in multiple Amazon categories, including entrepreneurship and Christian business. Jordan has twice been selected as a Google Fellow and served in the Bush White House in 2006. He lives in Tampa, Florida.

Baker Books has a vision for building up the body of Christ through books that are relevant, intelligent, and engaging. We publish titles for lay Christians on topics such as discipleship, apologetics, spirituality, relationships, marriage, parenting, and the intersection of Christianity and culture. Learn more at www.BakerBooks.com.

Contact: Adam Lorenz  (616)676-9185 x394  alorenz@bakerpublishinggroup.com

Nashville, TN (November 27, 2017)—HarperCollins Christian Publishing celebrates the excellent sales and promotion for “America’s Pastor” Max Lucado’s latest release Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World (September 2017, Nelson). Anxious for Nothing achieved remarkable success, including:

• Multiple appearances on national bestseller lists including Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Publishers Weekly and Walmart.
• Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study launched November 6^th
• Anxious for Nothing webinar will launch in January 2018.

In Anxious for Nothing, Lucado invites readers to discover a life characterized by peace and calm. Based on the encouragement in the Bible to “not be anxious about anything,” Lucado’s message has been incredibly timely and applicable within breaking news cycles during the fall of 2018.

Immediately after the Las Vegas shooting, Lucado wrote two original op-eds on anxiety—one appeared at USAToday.com and the other at FoxNews.com, both were picked up by a wide variety of media outlets in the days following. When the Sutherland Springs, Texas church shooting happened near Lucado’s own base of San Antonio, he wrote a third original op-ed that appeared on FoxNews.com, Christian Post, CBN and other online outlets.

Earlier in the fall, Lucado and Anxious for Nothing were featured in a wide variety of national media including an interview on Fox and Friends, a drop by with Kathie Lee and Hoda for the 4^th hour of The TODAY Show, KLOVE Radio, Kilmeade & Friends Radio, Rick & Bubba Radio, SIMPLE Grace Magazine, The 700 Club and many more.

“Max has based his teaching and writing ministry on his unwavering belief that God is both good and sovereign,” says Senior Vice President and Group Publisher David Moberg. “Anxious for Nothing could not have come at a more opportune time.”

“Is God sovereign over your circumstances?” Lucado asks. “Is he mightier than your problem? Does he have answers to your questions? According to the Bible, the answer is yes, yes, and yes! If he sustains all and controls all, do you think he has authority over this situation you face? What about his mercy? Is God’s grace great enough to cover your sin? Again, yes!”

Anxious for Nothing was simultaneously released in a jacketed hardcover, a Spanish edition, an audiobook, and as a DVD curriculum with participant’s guide. Companion products from Thomas Nelson included a $2.99 booklet entitled Less Fret, More Faith, a full-color children’s book entitled I’m Not a Scaredy Cat: A Prayer for When You Wish You Were Brave (October 2017) and gift book entitled Trade Your Cares for Calm (January 2018).

Max Lucado is the leading inspirational author in the United States. His writings have been shaped into bestselling books, videos, devotionals, songs, greeting cards, booklets, Bible studies, commentaries and theatrically-released movies. More than 130 million Lucado products have been printed in 54 languages, including 92 million books to date. According to a recent LifeWay Research Division national survey, 1 in 6 Americans are familiar with Max Lucado and 1 in 7 Americans have read a Lucado book. Lucado has been featured on countless national media outlets including The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, NPR’s All Things Considered and Fox & Friends. Max and his wife of over 35 years, Denalyn, call San Antonio, Texas, home. Max has served the people of Oak Hills Church since 1988. www.maxlucado.com

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

Contact: Jana Muntsinger, MMPR, jana@mmpublicrelations.com, 281-251-0480

Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World
By Max Lucado
Available from: Thomas Nelson
Release date: September 2017
Price: U.S. $22.99
Format: Hardcover, Jacketed
Pages: 240
ISBN-13: 978-0-7180-9612-0
BISAC category: Religion / Christian Life

Review copies, reprint permission and interviews are available.
Contact Jana Muntsinger, McClure Muntsinger Public Relations, 281-251-0480 or jana@mmpublicrelations.com