COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, March 3, 2025—WaterBrook, an imprint of PRH Christian Publishing Group, is delighted to share that Here Be Dragons: Treading the Deep Waters of Motherhood, Mean Girls, and Generational Trauma (Feb. 18, 2025) by Melanie Shankle, author and co-host of the Big Boo Cast, debuted at #5 on The New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction Bestseller list and at #8 on the Nonfiction Print and E-book Combined Bestseller List.

In Here Be Dragons, Shankle—now a four-time New York Times bestselling author—presents a poignant, deeply personal story about trusting God to heal generational wounds so you can be a strong, loving presence for your teenage daughter.

Like a lot of moms, Shankle found herself in need of a parenting map when her teenage daughter, Caroline, entered her sophomore year of high school where she encountered relentless mean girls and brutal heartache. While trying to equip her daughter to deal with the toxic social dynamics of high school, Melanie was hit with a cruel realization: The shame, criticism, and verbal abuse she had endured throughout her own life was wrought by one particular mean girl—her own mother.

“Amazingly, this is not the book Melanie set out to write . . . yet it’s the message that poured out of her. It’s even better than what any of us—including Melanie—were expecting!” said Susan Tjaden, WaterBrook VP/Executive Editor. “We are thrilled it is resonating with readers in the way we had hoped.”

Reader reviews showcase their enthusiasm calling Here Be Dragons Shankle’s best book yet. With more than 120 reviews on Goodreads and a 4.86 rating, readers are saying  “I devoured it,” “I love this book from start to finish,” and  “there is so much truth, wisdom and encouragement to be found here.”

In celebration of Here Be Dragons, Shankle is doing  a nine-city book tour visiting stores across her home state of Texas, as well as in the South. Upcoming events include Monday, March 3, at Little Professor Bookshop in Birmingham, AL, with her podcast co-host Sophie Hudson; Tuesday, March 4, at Books-A-Million in Nashville, TN, with Sissy Goff and David Thomas; and on Thursday, March 6, at Blue Willow Bookshop at St. Thomas Presbyterian Church in Houston, TX, with Beth Moore.

Melanie Shankle is a four-time New York Times bestselling author of Here Be Dragons, Sparkly Green Earrings, The Antelope in the Living Room, and Nobody’s Cuter Than You. She speaks at events nationwide and co-hosts the wildly popular podcast, The Big Boo Cast. Melanie and her husband, Perry, live in San Antonio, Texas, and are the parents of Caroline. www.melanieshankle.com

WaterBrook is an imprint of PRH Christian Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Contact:  Beverly Rykerd, VP/Publicity Director, brykerd@penguinrandomhouse.com

GRAND RAPIDS, MI—Paul L. Maier, beloved professor emeritus at Western Michigan University, ancient history scholar, and author of the #1 national best-seller A Skeleton in God’s Closet, passed away February 27. He was 94.

As the former Russell H. Seibert professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University, Dr. Maier taught on campus for fifty-two years and spent thirty-nine of those years as the campus chaplain. After his retirement in 2011, he retained the professor emeritus title. In 2018, he was honored for his legacy at the school with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who, an award that recognizes individuals’ achievements of greatness in their industries.

Dr. Maier was a staunch, vigorous, and engaging defender of the faith, considered an expert in apologetics. He was noted for using both secular and non-secular sources to confirm the authenticity of the Bible. He led countless tours to the Holy Land and other biblical sites. As a world-renowned author and international speaker, Maier wrote endless articles and books, both fiction and nonfiction. His books with Kregel include the nonfiction titles, Eusebius; Josephus: The Essential Works; Josephus: The Essential Writings; In the Fullness of Time later updated and retitled The Genuine Jesus; and The First Christmas; and two novels, Pontius Pilate and The Flames of Rome.

Dr. Maier wasn’t just a scholar and best-selling author, he was also Paul, a genuine friend to others. Longstanding Kregel employees remember his visits to Kregel to pick up books. He’d leave with his Triumph Spitfire so weighed down by cartons that the muffler would scrape along the driveway as he left.

“Dr. Maier has been one of our most significant and best-selling authors in our 75-year publishing history,” president Jerry Kregel said. “We first published Josephus: The Essential Writings back in 1988, and that was later released as the updated full-color Josephus: The Essential Works. Those and most of his other titles published with us, including some published in Spanish by our Spanish division Editorial Portavoz, are still in print after so many years. Combined, his books have sold well over half a million copies and continue to provide valuable historical context for readers worldwide. As a professor, chaplain, speaker, and author, he has left a tremendous legacy.”

Publisher Catherine DeVries said, “I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Paul Maier at the Kregel home office a few times and witnessed his passion, dedication, motivation, incredible knowledge, and sense of humor with a sparkle in his eye, which I enjoyed most of all. He will be missed. I am grateful that his scholarship lives on through his books.”

Paul is survived by four daughters, ten grandchildren, two nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews. His daughters shared, “Our precious papa is now in glory with our mom, his parents, his brother, his friends, and most importantly with our beautiful Savior, welcoming him home.”

With his investment in the students at WMU, his expertise in his writing, and his relationships with family and friends, Dr. Maier has left a legacy that points directly to the love and salvation that comes from Jesus Christ.

Kregel Publications is an evangelical Christian publisher that aims to develop and distribute—with integrity and excellence—trusted, biblically based resources that lead individuals to know and serve Jesus Christ.

Ada, Mich. (February 18, 2025)—I’ve Got Questions: The Spiritual Practice of Having It Out with God (Baker Books; ISBN 9781540904089; ebook ISBN 9781493449187; $26.99) by Erin Hicks Moon has been featured on Publishers Weekly’s Bestseller list, ranking #19 on Print Hardcover Frontlist Nonfiction. The ranking reflects sales for the week ending February 8, 2025, and is based on point-of-sale data from booksellers nationwide.

“Congratulations to Erin Hicks Moon and the talented team who launched I’ve Got Questions. We’ve been looking forward to sharing Erin’s message with the world for a while now and we’re really pleased it’s a national bestseller.”—Brian Vos, Editorial Director, Baker Books

When your faith as you know it has been commodified, nationalized, scandalized, and rebranded beyond recognition, is it even possible to recover the “good” of Jesus from this cluster of epic proportions?

Writer and podcaster Erin Moon has questions, and this book is her open letter for anyone who feels iffy, conflicted, or just downright devastated by this disconnect. With empathy, insight, and the therapy of memes and a good laugh, Erin maps out not a rigid prescription but an open-hearted pathway for you to reclaim what you once loved about your faith home and light a match to the rest.

Erin Hicks Moon is a writer, podcaster, and storyteller who helps people disentangle faith by creating a kind and curious community that welcomes honest doubt and questions. She is the Resident Bible Scholar and host of the Faith Adjacent podcast, and senior creative at Popcast Media Group. Her popular weekly newsletter, “The Swipe Up,” has garnered nearly 20,000 highly engaged subscribers, and she has written and produced several popular Bible study guides. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband and three children.

Baker Books has a vision for showing people a better way to live by publishing books that are relevant, intelligent, and engaging.

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

Contact:  Shelly MacNaughton, (616)450-5560, smacnaughton@bakerpublishinggroup.com

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (Feb. 19, 2025)—PRH Christian Publishing Group (PRHCPG) is delighted to announce the addition of Madison Trammel as Editorial Director of PRH Christian Publishing Group, reporting to Laura Barker, VP and Publisher, starting March 3, 2025. All nonfiction editors acquiring for the WaterBrook, Multnomah, Image and Forum imprints at PRHCPG will report to Trammel.

“We are thrilled to welcome Madison to the PRH Christian team,” notes Campbell Wharton, SVP and Publisher for PRH Christian. “His entrepreneurial mindset, demonstrated capacity for imprint growth, and vast knowledge and experience in the Christian marketplace over the last two decades bring exactly what we need as we expand the scope of our publishing program.”

For the past six years, Trammel has been serving as the Publisher of B&H Publishing’s academic team, where he has overseen the imprint’s publishing program from acquisitions and product development, vision casting and growth strategy, to budgets and management of the editorial team. The imprint has enjoyed great success and growth under his leadership. For part of that time, Trammel also served as Associate Director of the B&H Publishing Group on the Trade team. He was previously an acquisitions editor at HarperCollins Christian Publishing for eight years, commissioning a broad range of books, including spiritual growth, church ministry, leadership, apologetics, and popular reference titles. Trammel also oversaw an Issues & Culture line and a Spiritual Growth line at Moody Publishers, and he got his start in Christian publishing as an associate editor at Christianity Today.

Some of Trammel’s notable acquisitions include On the Resurrection by Gary Habermas, Urban Apologetics by Eric Mason (an ECPA Christian Book Award® Finalist), and God of All Things by Andrew Wilson (all Christianity Today Book Award Winners).

“It’s an incredible honor to be selected to lead the editorial team at PRH Christian, especially during this time of growth and change at the company,” said Trammel. “I look forward to working with the top-notch editors there to expand our publishing program, cultivating relationships with current authors and audiences with excellence while simultaneously pursuing new readers and categories. I’m especially motivated by Campbell Wharton and Laura Barker’s vision to broaden PRH Christian’s reach in the marketplace, providing a wider range of readers with notable books that enrich their spiritual lives.”

Trammel holds an MA in Christian History and Theology from Wheaton; a PhD from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary majoring in Historical Theology; and is currently completing his MBA at Azusa Pacific University concentrating in organizational science. Trammel has also completed NYU’s Advanced Publishing course.

WaterBrook, Multnomah, Image and Forum Books are imprints of the PRH Christian Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Contact: Beverly Rykerd, VP Publicity Director, brykerd@penguinrandomhouse.com.

NASHVILLE, Tenn., February 2025—Zondervan Books is thrilled to announce that New York Times Opinion columnist Ross Douthat’s latest work, Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious, has made its debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Believe ranked as number eight in Hardcover Nonfiction and number ten in Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction after its release on February 11, 2025.

Douthat’s previous works have garnered widespread acclaim, and Believe continues his tradition of intellectual rigor—striking a chord with readers seeking understanding in an era marked by uncertainty and division. Known for his thoughtful exploration of spiritual topics, Douthat presents a persuasive case for belief in a skeptical age, arguing that modern science and reason make faith not only credible but essential. WORLD magazine calls Believe “a Mere Christianity for the 21st century.”

“Ross Douthat has long been one of our most perceptive and persuasive writers on issues of the greatest importance, especially matters of faith and belief,” said Webster Younce, vice president and executive editor of Zondervan Books. “We couldn’t be happier that Believe is resonating with so many readers at this particular cultural moment.”

Recently seen on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, The World and Everything in It, and The Sean McDowell Show, Douthat has offered clarity and insight amid the confusions of our age. His extensive knowledge of theology, philosophy, and current events weave a compelling web of understanding that invites readers to consider deeply the complexities of belief.

In celebrating this milestone, Daniel Marrs, vice president and publisher of Zondervan Books, remarked, “We are incredibly proud of Ross Douthat and the success of Believe, as well as the tremendous work of the Zondervan team. Ross is not only a talented writer but also a profound thinker who has extraordinary insight into the questions our readers are grappling with as they seek to understand the complexities of faith and culture in our world today. We trust that this book will resonate for years to come.”

A New York Times bestseller, Believe is now available at major retailers and on online platforms. For more information or for media inquiries, contact Rebecca Schriner at rebecca.schriner@harpercollins.com.

Ross Douthat has been a New York Times Opinion columnist since April 2009. Previously, he was a senior editor at The Atlantic. He is the author of The Deep Places; The Decadent Society; To Change the Church; Bad Religion; Privilege; and, with Reihan Salam, Grand New Party. He is the film critic for National Review. He lives with his wife and five children in New Haven, Connecticut.

Zondervan is a HarperCollins company and part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Zondervan is a world leading publisher and provider of Christian communications. The company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For additional information, please visit zondervan.com.

Contact:  Rebecca Schriner, Publicity Manager | Zondervan Books, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Rebecca.Schriner@HarperCollins.com

January 2025:  Whitaker Corporation appointed industry veteran Ned Clements to shape the future of Sales as Vice President.  Ned Clements has built a rewarding career in Christian publishing since 1996. A graduate of Vanguard University with a degree in Finance and Management, Ned has held influential roles at leading publishing houses, including Multnomah Publishers, Charisma House, and Destiny Image. As a seasoned sales executive, he has brought numerous national bestsellers to market.

With nearly three decades of experience in the book publishing industry, Ned brings a wealth of experience to Whitaker Corporation’s sales operations. His appointment reflects the company’s commitment to driving innovation in sales strategies and delivering exceptional value to its customers.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ned to our leadership team as Vice President of Sales,” states Robert Whitaker Jr., President of Whitaker Corporation. “His proven track record of driving growth, cultivating meaningful client relationships, and mentoring high-performing teams aligns perfectly with our company’s values and vision for the future. Ned brings a fresh perspective that will undoubtedly help us strengthen our market position and expand our reach.”

Looking ahead, Whitaker Corporation is confident that Ned’s leadership will be pivotal in achieving growth goals and further establishing the company as a leader in the industry.

“It is an honor to step into this role and become part of Whitaker Corporation and its family of companies. I look forward to collaborating with this talented team to build on their legacy of success, expand our reach, and continue serving readers with impactful, faith-based resources. Together, we will drive growth, foster new opportunities, and uphold the values that have made Whitaker Corporation a trusted name in publishing.” -Ned Clements

Whitaker Corporation announces well-known literary agent and former publisher Chip MacGregor as new Executive Editor.

“I am so thrilled to announce that we have hired Chip MacGregor to join the Whitaker team as Executive Editor,” says Christine Whitaker, publisher at Whitaker House. “I have worked with Chip over ten years, and he has brought Whitaker such a rich array of authors and content. He has been a personal mentor and friend to me over the years.”

Chip MacGregor refers to himself as a “book guy,” having spent nearly his entire life in the world of publishing after starting in magazines. A former publisher at Time-Warner and Hachette Book Group, he has more than twenty-five years’ experience as a literary agent and has completed more than a thousand book contracts. Over the past fifteen years, he has executed more book deals than any other literary agent in the United States, had dozens of books hit various bestseller lists, had twenty books made into a movie or documentary, and represented a handful of books that have been made into feature films. Chip is currently on the publishing board for JourneyWise and will work with both entities moving forward.

“I’m excited to be helping with acquisitions and contracts in this, the 55th year of Whitaker House Publishers,” Chip states. “I’ve done deals with Christine, I’ve worked with Managing Editor Amy Bartlett before — she is someone I know and respect — and I have long respected Whitaker Corporation President Bob and his work with Anchor. I’m genuinely excited to be joining the team and trying to add whatever I can to the group of people working at Whitaker House.”

In this new role as Executive Editor, Chip will be helping in acquisitions, project development, contract negotiations, and business development.

“Whitaker House is honored to have the opportunity to publish the Berean Bible. This translation has been so well-received in recent years by readers and offers a rich understanding of the Scripture through thoughtful interpretation and diligent scholarship. We look forward to the partnership and expanding the reach of this compelling translation.”
-Christine Whitaker, Publisher, Whitaker House

Meant to be shared between people, cultures, and generations, the Berean Bible was created with the modern reader and the Great Commission in mind. Developed to push the frontiers of mission work, the hope is that it will reach people in the far four corners of the earth.

The Berean Bible is a completely new English translation of the Holy Bible, done in a contemporary style, and effective for public reading, study, memorization, and evangelism. Inspired by the zeal of the Bereans in Acts, and based on the best available manuscripts and sources, each word is connected back to the Greek or Hebrew text to produce a transparent text that can be studied for its root meanings. Additional components, including translation tables, lexicons, outlines, and summaries, are available online and in a variety of apps and software.

“We wanted to humbly stand on the shoulders of those who preceded us. Get a consensual view of how they all flow together. Not depart from those lines. But where added readability or anticipated reader confusion was a point, we would have original language experts on both sides of the language aisle in Hebrew and Greek and work with the stylists so we could put something forward—a translation you could trust.” -Dr. Gary Hill, advisory Editor and lead coordinator for Berean Bible

Form-centered, smooth, open source, and developed to anticipate the cultural knowledge and understanding of a new age, the Berean Bible is ideal for the next generation of those seeking God or spreading His word to others.

“Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.” – Acts 17:11 (BSB)

FEBRUARY 24, 2025 — New York Times bestselling authors Candace Lee and Eric Newman’s GEORGE GRANT DRAGON SLAYER, launching the Order of the Dragon Slayer trilogy, a middle-grade adventure that reimagines the legend of Saint George in a fading West Virginia coal town, where a young Scout and his friends are forced to put their survival skills and courage to the ultimate test, to Bunmi Ishola at PRH Christian Publishing Group for WaterBrook, at auction, in a three-book deal, for publication in Spring 2026, by Shannon Marven and Sydney Delahoussaye at Dupree Miller & Associates (world), with the support of Scouting America and ties to the World Scout Organization, representing 57 million active Scouts worldwide.

For Film/TV rights inquiries, contact: Sydney Delahoussaye sydney@dupreemiller.com

For additional rights inquiries, contact Denise Cronin, decronin@penguinrandomhouse.com.

WaterBrook is an imprint of Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Contact: 
Beverly Rykerd, VP, Publicity Director, WaterBrook & Multnomah/ Penguin Random House, brykerd@penguinrandomhouse.com

FROM A LIFE SENTENCE TO A LIFE TRANSFORMED: JUDY HENDERSON’S POWERFUL MEMOIR WHEN THE LIGHT FINDS US RELEASES APRIL 2025

Judy Henderson shares her journey of wrongful conviction, resilience, and faith in “When the Light Finds Us,” releasing April 15, 2025.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI / FEBRUARY 11, 2025 – When the Light Finds Us: From a Life Sentence to a Life Transformed is a gripping narrative that explores the depths of human resilience and the transformative power of hope through the story of Judy Henderson, a woman who was wrongfully convicted of a crime and given a life sentence in prison.

While building her own business and raising two children, Judy Henderson’s life took a devastating turn when she was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Despite facing relentless hardships, Judy pursued an education, became a paralegal, and advocated for the rights of incarcerated women, all while behind bars.

Through her perseverance, faith, and the support of key advocates, Judy was finally granted a full pardon in June 2018, after 36 years in prison. Today, she advocates for justice system reform, sharing her powerful testimony to fight wrongful convictions and support incarcerated women. Her new book with Jimmy Soni, When the Light Finds Us: From a Life Sentence to a Life Transformed, is more than a memoir — it’s a powerful reminder that hope and faith can prevail in even the darkest of circumstances.

TALK WITH JUDY HENDERSON ABOUT

• The shock of adjusting to life behind bars and the challenges of reentering society after decades of wrongful imprisonment.
• How Judy’s faith gave her strength, hope, and the ability to persevere even in the darkest of moments.
• The power of forgiveness and its role in personal transformation.
• The heartbreaking reality of being separated from children while serving a life sentence, the ways she stayed connected to them, and the emotional journey of rebuilding relationships after 36 years apart.
• Her advocacy efforts to improve the rights and conditions of incarcerated women, bringing attention to the urgent need for prison reform.
• Her pioneering work creating programs to help incarcerated mothers maintain relationships with their children.

You can pre-order your copy of When the Light Finds Us today.

Judy Henderson was a thirty-two-year-old mother of two running a successful business when she was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Rather than surrender to despair, she transformed her sentence into a mission. Behind bars, Henderson earned her GED and paralegal certification, pioneered programs connecting incarcerated mothers with their children, and became a powerful voice for women’s rights and prison reform. Her advocacy work led to landmark legislation recognizing battered women’s syndrome as a legal defense in Missouri. After thirty-six years of unwavering faith and persistence, Henderson was pardoned in 2018. Her release wasn’t just freedom—it was vindication. Today, she channels her hard-won wisdom into serving others through Catholic Charities and advocating for criminal justice reform. A sought-after speaker and activist, she shares her inspiring message of hope and redemption while cherishing time with her two children, nine grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. Her remarkable journey from wrongful conviction to transformational leader demonstrates how one voice, even from behind bars, can ignite lasting change.

Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author whose latest book, The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley, was a national bestseller. His ghostwritten works have appeared on multiple bestseller lists. He Lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Worthy Books, a division of Hachette Book Group, publishes inspirational, transformational, and educational books that inspire readers to grow in faith, wisdom, and purpose. Worthy is committed to excellence in both content and presentation, delivering resources that engage thoughtful readers and strengthen their spirits. Their titles span across Christian living, memoir, business and leadership, women’s interest, and more.

Hachette Book Group is a leading book publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the third-largest publisher in the world.

Contact:  Carly Hamilton, 575-621-0371, carly@130a.com

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