December 16, 2024 Edition
This is the last edition of Rush to Press for the year. The next issue will be released on January 6. Merry Christmas and New Year!
Industry News
Christian publishing pioneer Gary Johnson passes away
Gary Johnson, who served as President of Bethany House Publishers for nearly five decades (1960-2008) and was widely credited with establishing Christian fiction as a viable publishing category, has passed away.
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Christian bestseller lists posted for December
ECPA has released the monthly Christian bestseller lists for December 2024 in 15 categories, based on November sales through Circana BookScan. The top three titles are by Sarah Young: Jesus Calling, Jesus Calling for Christmas, and Jesus Listens for Advent and Christmas.
IPG to host Open House for NBN publishers
Independent Publishers Group (IPG), the last remaining independent book distributor of significant size in North America, will host an informational open house for publishers impacted by the upcoming closure of National Book Network (NBN).
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Perfection Press joins Total Printing Systems
Perfection Press and Total Printing Systems (TPS), based in Newton IL, are pleased to announce that on December 13th , 2024, Perfection Press and its commercial book printing operations have become part of TPS.
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ECPA announces 2025 Leadership Summit program, April 29-30
ECPA has announced the program for the 2025 ECPA Leadership Summit to be held April 29 and 30 in Nashville. Early bird registration will open next month. The event will announce adn celebrate the 2025 Christian Book Awards® and include the following speakers on the most recent topics affecting Christian publishing and its leaders:
- Andy Hunter, Founder & CEO, Bookshop.org
- Jane Friedman, Co-founder and Editor, The Hot Sheet
- Uli Chi, Senior Fellow, DePree Center for Leadership
- Bryan Chapell, Ph.D., Presbyterian Church in America
- Ben Mandrell, President and CEO, Lifeway
- Michele Cobb, Exec. Director, Audio Publishers Association
- Mark James, President, Performance Advisors Group, Inc.
- Michael Johnson, Vice President of Content, Benetech
- Bill Kasdorf, Accessibility Consultant; Kasdorf & Assoc.
- David Rech, President and Founder, Scribe
- See the rest at ECPALeadership.org
If you are interested in exhibiting, please contact Sheri.
European Christian Rights Fair set for Krakow in March: Registration is open
Registration is open for the European Christian Rights Fair in historic Krakow, Poland. In addition to the two days of rights and sales engagement, there will be an ECPA-hosted training day.
Milestones
God Gave Us series surpasses 5.3 million copies sold
WaterBrook is celebrating the extraordinary sales track of 5.3 million copies sold in the bestselling God Gave Us children’s series by Lisa Tawn Bergren; illustrated by Laura J Bryant and David Hohn. The debut title, "God Gave Us You," originally published in 2000, has gone on to sell more than 2.1 million copies in all formats.
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Zondervan's "The Jesus Bible" reaches 500,000 sold milestone
Zondervan has announced “The Jesus Bible,” in both NIV and ESV editions, have sold more than 500,000 copies combined. Through a partnership with Passion Publishing, Zondervan first published The Jesus Bible, NIV Edition in 2017 and The Jesus Bible, ESV Edition in 2018.
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IVP's "First Nations Version" and "The Common Rule" receive Bronze Milestone Sales Award
InterVarsity Press has received the ECPA Bronze Milestone Sales Award from ECPA in recognition of two titles that have surpassed 100,000 copies sold across all formats: “The Common Rule” by Justin Whitmel Earley and “First Nations Version” by Terry M. Wildman and the First Nations Version Translation Council.
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IVP Academic titles receive top honors in Southwestern Journal of Theology Book of the Year Awards
IVP Academic’s “On Classical Trinitarianism” and “Wonders of Your Law” were both named top books in their academic disciplines as part of the 2024 Book of the Year awards, a process coordinated by the Southwestern Journal of Theology.
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NavPress titles recognized in Christianity Today 2025 Book Awards
Christianity Today has selected the NavPress title “Nearing a Far God: Praying the Psalms with Our Whole Selves” by Leslie Leyland Fields as the winner of the Bible and Devotional category.
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Lexham Press celebrates a year of awards
Lexham Press celebrates numerous award wins this year. We are delighted to report that several books received multiple awards and recognitions:
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Product News
Lifeway President Ben Mandrell releases his first Bible study on biblical community
As a pastor of 17 years and now Lifeway’s president and CEO, Ben Mandrell has written his first short-term adult Bible study, “Together,” to recapture God’s vision for biblical community within the local church.
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Precept releases the first installment in its new Know God Deeply™ line of Bible studies
In “The Purpose of Prayer: A Collection on Prayer, Volume One,” users will journey through Scripture, using the Precept Bible Study Method, to discover the true purpose of prayer and its ability to transform our hearts and lives and our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
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Holman Bibles to release ‘Jesus Daily Bible’ to help readers see cohesive focus of Scripture
Dwayne Milioni, pastor of Open Door Church in Raleigh, N.C., has a passion for God’s Word and a drive to see others develop that same love for Scripture. That desire led him to partner with Holman Bibles to develop the “CSB Jesus Daily Bible” to be released in January.
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New Growth Press continues popular middle grade fiction series from Marty Machowski
“The Light and the Life” by bestselling author Marty Machowski follows the adventures of the animals who could have witnessed the events of Jesus’s life. The title will be released February 10, 2025.
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Media Announcements
IVP launches second season of The Digital Examen Podcast on January 8
InterVarsity Press will kick off the second season of The Digital Examen on January 8. Hosted by pastor and author Jay Kim, the podcast will expand on the theme of “Living at the Pace of Peace.”
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K-LOVE Podcast interviews ECPA president Jeff Crosby on the increase in Bible sales
Circana BookScan tabulated a definitive 22% Bible sales spike in a 12-month period ending October. In fact, the Bible was outpacing the sale of other books. This recent flurry of biblical interest is getting a lot of media attention. K-LOVE recently interviewed ECPA president Jeff Crosby who is onboard with the numerical finding.
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WaterBrook author, speaker and nurse Allyson Golden on Jesus Calling Podcast
Author, speaker, and pediatric nurse Allyson Golden recently joined The Jesus Calling Podcast. From bringing hope into the difficult moments she faces as a nurse, to reflecting God’s love on social media, Allyson actively seeks to be a light to those who are trying to overcome darkness. Golden’s book, “Arise and Shine: How to Be the Light That Ignites Hope in a Dark World,” is available from WaterBrook.
Other News
INDUSTRY
PUBLISHING
- AAP’s Maria A. Pallante on International Publishers' Relations
- John Ingram Receives 2024 Frederic G. Melcher Lifetime Achievement Award
- Authors Guild Reinforces Its Position on AI Licensing
- The Role of ISNI in Book Publishing: Accuracy, Discoverability, Collaboration
- BISG webinar on Dec. 17: 2024 Update to the BISAC Subject Codes List
- A New State 'Freedom To Read Act' Bans Bannings of Books
- Sourcebooks Launches In-House Audio Program
- Bloomsbury's Audio Distribution Agreement With Spotify
- Verlagsgruppe HarperCollins To Acquire Gräfe und Unzer
