August 28, 2017 Edition

Four days left of ECPA PubU early bird discount:  Save $100

PubU sessions explore podcasts, audio books, video, mobile, motion picture rights, e-learning, listening to new narratives, customization, building author/publisher platforms, design topics, and more

Christian publishing professionals are encouraged to register for ECPA PubU by Thursday, August 31, in order to take advantage of $100 off the registration rate.  The annual conference, held this year on November 7-8 in Nashville (Lipscomb University), will feature more than 40 sessions in 6 publishing topics to choose among.  Top industry and culture leaders will lead the sessions in marketing/publicity, editorial, rights, design, reader engagement, and data/delivery/workflow.  Topics include podcasts, audio books, video, mobile, motion picture rights, e-learning, listening to new narratives, customization, building author/publisher platforms, and much more.

The opening plenary session will feature Q conference founder Gabe Lyons and the presentation of the industry’s Top Shelf award-winning book covers of the year.  “Industry connection, networking, training, and inspiration will be packed into the most valuable 24-hours in Christian publishing,” states ECPA executive director Stan Jantz.

After PubU adjourns at noon on November 8, attendees are invited to stay for ECPA’s first Art of Writing conference for “writers, storytellers and publishing curators” that then precedes the industry’s Christy Award Christian Fiction gala that evening.

PubU program and registration
Emerging Leader scholarships available

Bible Gateway interviews Mark Clark, author of ‘The Problem of God’

What conclusions about the Bible and God would you draw if you were raised in an atheistic home, struggled through your parents’ divorce, encountered health problems, and was by nature thoroughly skeptical? Bible Gateway interviewed Mark Clark (@markaclark) about his disarmingly winsome book, The Problem of God: Answering a Skeptic’s Challenges to Christianity (Zondervan, 2017).

Read this interview.

Bible Gateway interviews Lisa Harper, author of ‘The Sacrament of Happy’

Is happiness a gift from God? Is there a spiritual difference between joy and happiness? What does the Bible say about being happy and whether God is happy? Bible Gateway interviewed Lisa Harper (@lisadharper) about her book, The Sacrament of Happy: What a Smiling God Brings to a Wounded World (B&H Books, 2017).

Read this interview.

Mark Batterson shares what God requires of real men 

Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., Mark Batterson joins the Jesus Calling podcast to share what led him to write his latest book titled, Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be (Baker Books) that released in May 2017.  Mark talks about how he works to encourage men to live by the “seven virtues of manhood.”

More…

Gregory Alan Williams talks moviemaking and manhood

Special guest to the Jesus Calling podcast, Greg Alan Williams, actor and author, explains why he was drawn to the role of Bishop (All Saints movie) and discusses how it influenced him. The surprising true story of how refugees from Burma brought life to a dying church, All Saints book (Bethany House Publishers) released 8/22/2017 with the theatrical release of the movie, All Saints (Pure Flix Entertainment) released nationwide to theaters on 8/25/2017.

More…