rush-to-press
The Week's News in Christian Publishing
  • Industry News
  • Milestones
  • Media Announcements
  • Product News
  • Other News

January 15, 2018 Edition

Happy MLK Day

From its first publication in 1963, Letter From Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., quickly spread around the country as a manifesto articulating the urgency in redressing injustice, the interconnectedness of citizens, the necessity of discernment in responding rightly to unjust laws, and the demands of courage born of faith.  Order a copy from The Trinity Forum here.

http://www.lsccom.com/

Industry News

Barbour Publishing names Mary Burns as new President and COO

Barbour Publishing CEO, Timothy Martins, has announced the promotion of Mary Burns to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer, effective January 1, 2018. Martins, who served as Barbour’s President for over 20 years, will remain active with the company as Chief Executive Officer and serving on the company’s board of directors. Mary Burns, a twenty-three-year veteran of Barbour Publishing, has served as Vice President of Marketing for the majority of that time.

Read More...

Ligonier Ministries launches “Ask Ligonier” as a 24-hour biblical and theological chat service

Ligonier Ministries has launched Ask Ligonier, a 24/6 biblical and theological chat service staffed by a well-trained team. The team is strategically located across various continents and timezones. The chat service is available 24 hours per day, Monday through Saturday, on Ligonier.org, the Ligonier App, Facebook.com/Ligonier, and Twitter.com/Ligonier. On Sundays, anyone can leave a message and receive a response within 24 business hours.

Read More...

New releases dominate the January Christian Bestsellers list

New and recent releases continue to drive the Christian publishing industry. According to ECPA’s bestsellers lists for January 2018—reflecting POS data compiled by NPD BookScan in December—the #1 books in the Top 50, the Top 25 nonfiction, and the Top 25 fiction bestsellers lists were all released in the Fall 2017 season.  The top selling book in both the Top 50 general list and the Top 25 nonfiction list was Capital Gaines by Fixer Upper star Chip Gaines (Thomas Nelson). The #1 selling book in the Top 25 fiction list was Karen Kingsbury’s In This Moment (Howard Books).

Read More…

Moody Publishers announces hire of new publicist

Moody Publishers welcomes Kathryn Eastham to the publicity team as their new publicist.  Kathryn will create and manage publicity campaigns alongside Janis (Backing) Todd, who serves as the publicity manager.

Read More...

Parable announces successful Christmas season for Christian retailers

The Parable Group, a leading marketing agency for the Christian product industry, announced that Christmas sales were up for the Christian retailers they serve with print/digital promotions. Collectively, November and December sales were up 0.9%. A key piece of that increase was Thanksgiving week—when sales group-wide increased 3.2%—with 68% of their partner stores seeing greater sales than 2016.

Read More...

Christian publishers invited to first Magazine Training International event in Africa

MTI is pleased to announce their next on-site conference will be in Africa. Although MTI has trained publishing professionals from over 200 African magazines over the years, this will be the first MTI conference in Africa.

Read More...

Frontgate Media

Christian Leadership Alliance selects FrontGate Media

Christian Leadership Alliance (CLA) has selected FrontGate Media to help communicate the Alliance’s mission and content to key audiences.  FrontGate will support Christian Leadership Alliance on advertising and social marketing strategies/Blog content, as well as promoting existing Alliance content to the Blogging community.

Read More...

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8126733820318661890

Milestones

FaithWords novel by Christian bestselling author receives rave reviews

Susan Sleeman, a bestselling and award-winning author of inspirational and clean read romantic suspense books, has received two rave reviews from the trades for her second book in the White Knight Series, KILL SHOT (Faithwords; February 6, 2018). Publishers Weekly says that Sleeman “concentrates on trust and forgiveness in this exciting romantic crime novel,” while RT Book Reviews awards 4 out of 5 stars, noting that “the second in the White Knights series is a suspense with a side of romance […] The tension stays consistent throughout the story, and the faith element is seamlessly woven in.”

http://www.blessedfreebies.com/ecpa.html

Media Announcements

Harvest House author Valorie Burton appears on national media

Harvest House Publishers author Valorie Burton started out the New Year keeping busy for her new release "Brave Enough to Succeed" with two national television appearances. On January 1, Burton was interviewed on 'Megyn Kelly Today' about choosing the right resolutions and keeping them. NBC asked Burton to return for an interview January 5 on 'Kathie Lee & Hoda' to discuss the key to successful resolutions, which marked her nineteenth appearance in the last few years. 

Read More...

Bible Gateway interviews Lydia Brownback, author of ‘Sing a New Song’

Fear, joy, heartache, anger, frustration, doubt; the book of Psalms displays an incredible range of human emotions as they’re expressed toward God in prayer and song. Bible Gateway interviewed Lydia Brownback about her book, ‘Sing a New Song: A Woman’s Guide to the Psalms’ (Crossway, 2017).

Read this interview.

Bible Gateway interviews Tim Chester, author of ‘Bible Matters: Making Sense of Scripture’

Do we approach the Bible believing that the One who spoke and brought the universe into existence, whose voice thundered from Mount Sinai, and whose words healed the sick is the same God who speaks to us today through Scripture? Are we reading the Bible not merely to learn information about God but to hear his voice and encounter his presence? Bible Gateway interviewed Tim Chester (@timchestercouk) about his book, ‘Bible Matters: Making Sense of Scripture’ (InterVarsity Press, 2016).

Read this interview.

https://www.ecpa.org/networking/

Product News

Todd Gerelds, author of Woodlawn, publishes with Tyndale Momentum

Todd Gerelds, author of 'Woodlawn,' believes he has learned the most meaningful life lessons on the playing field. The voice of his coach rings in his head when life gets tough—and it just happens that his coach’s voice is also his father’s. In 'Always Fall Forward: Life Lessons I’ll Never Forget from “The Coach”' (Tyndale Momentum), Gerelds reflects on 52 of his dad’s most formative lessons. His dad was Tandy “The Coach” Gerelds, the subject of the film Woodlawn and the man who led his team to victory in the racially charged atmosphere of 1970s Alabama. 

Read More...

Other News

INDUSTRY

  • Bethany House and Baker Publishing Group cancelled publication of book by megachurch pastor Andy Savage after assault allegations
  • Geoffrey Dennis has joined Kregel Publications as director of sales
  • Five Religion Books Headed to Screens in 2018
  • New Conferences Aim to Bring Diversity to Religion Publishing
  • Bringing Biblical Women to Life: 'PW' Talks with Mesu Andrews
  • December Religion Bestsellers: Holiday Releases, Old Favorites Selling Well
  • Religion Book Deals: January, 2018
  • Hackmans retire, close their Pennsylvania Christian bookstore
  • For All Bible in Montana is closing after 70 years of ministry
  • CBA posts December 2017 Best-Sellers from Christian bookstores
  • Barna: The Trends Shaping a Post-Truth Era
  • Who Evangelicals Lost in 2017: Nabeel Qureshi, R. C. Sproul, Peter Berger, Haddon Robinson, and others

PUBLISHING

  • AAP Opposes Censorship of the Book Fire and Fury: Inside the White House
  • Backlist Books Win in 2017
  • Monthly StatShot, August 2017
  • 6 Growth Opportunities for Publishers in 2018
  • BISG event: Keywords: Cracking the Code held February 8 in NYC
  • PRH Buys Rodale Books Assets
  • There is a way for publishers to still use Facebook to grow their business
  • The Top 6 Features of Great Email in 2018

INTERNATIONAL

  • Translation Database Now Hosted by 'PW'
  • Trends in the European Marketplace: 2016 Numbers Stable, and Affected by Pound Sterling Slump
  • Freedom To Publish Award: The Prix Voltaire 2018 Shortlist Honors Figures from Asia, Europe, and Africa
  • UK’s Publishers Association Launches Toolkit for EU’s Data Protection Regulations

BOOKSTORE NEWS

  • Bookstore Sales Dropped 6.4% in November
  • Indie bookshops bullish about 2018 after Christmas sales rise

Sign Up To Receive Industry News Each Week

Subscribe

This Month’s Bestsellers

VIEW BY GENRE
1 JESUS CALLING
SARAH YOUNG
2 PRACTICING THE WAY
JOHN MARK COMER
3 THE 5 LOVE LANGUAGES
GARY CHAPMAN
4 FORGIVING WHAT YOU CAN'T FORGET
LYSA TERKEURST
5 LIVING FEARLESS
JAMIE WINSHIP
6 HOLY SPIRIT
DAVID DIGA HERNANDEZ
7 NEW MORNING MERCIES
PAUL DAVID TRIPP
8 THE RUTHLESS ELIMINATION OF HURRY
JOHN MARK COMER
9 THE CASE FOR CHRIST
LEE STROBEL
10 IMAGINE HEAVEN
JOHN BURKE
View All
1 SINCERELY, STONEHEART
EMILY WILSON HUSSEM
2 SLOW BURN
DAWNCHERE WILKERSON
3 BLESSED ARE THE SPIRALING
LEVI LUSKO
4 EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE
KYLE IDLEMAN
5 THE FIGHT FOR US
REBEKAH LYONS AND GABE LYONS
6 NEVER GIVE UP
MAX LUCADO
7 THE SUMMER OF YOU AND ME
DENISE HUNTER
8 JESUS LISTENS LARGE TEXT WITH FULL SCRIPTURES
SARAH YOUNG
9 UNLOCK YOUR DELIVERANCE
KATHRYN KRICK
10 TWO SECONDS TOO LATE
DANI PETTREY
View All
1 WHERE SECRETS LIE
COLLEEN COBLE AND RICK ACKER
2 THE SUMMER OF YES
COURTNEY WALSH
3 REDEEMING LOVE
FRANCINE RIVERS
4 WHEN CRICKETS CRY
CHARLES MARTIN
5 HINDS' FEET ON HIGH PLACES
HANNAH HURNARD
6 VANISHED
DAVID JEREMIAH WITH SAM O'NEAL
7 THE HIDDEN PRINCE
TESSA AFSHAR
8 THE SHACK
WILLIAM PAUL YOUNG
9 A LINEAGE OF GRACE
FRANCINE RIVERS
10 WHAT NOT TO DO ON VACATION
RACHEL MAGEE
View All
1 JESUS CALLING
SARAH YOUNG
2 PRACTICING THE WAY
JOHN MARK COMER
3 THE 5 LOVE LANGUAGES
GARY CHAPMAN
4 FORGIVING WHAT YOU CAN'T FORGET
LYSA TERKEURST
5 LIVING FEARLESS
JAMIE WINSHIP
6 HOLY SPIRIT
DAVID DIGA HERNANDEZ
7 NEW MORNING MERCIES
PAUL DAVID TRIPP
8 THE RUTHLESS ELIMINATION OF HURRY
JOHN MARK COMER
9 THE CASE FOR CHRIST
LEE STROBEL
10 IMAGINE HEAVEN
JOHN BURKE
View All
1 THE ACTION BIBLE
SERGIO CARIELLO
2 THE BEGINNER'S BIBLE
THE BEGINNER'S BIBLE
3 THE JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE
SALLY LLOYD-JONES
4 GREAT AND SMALL PRAYERS FOR BABIES
PAMELA KENNEDY
5 THE WORLD NEEDS WHO YOU WERE MADE TO BE
JOANNA GAINES
6 THE COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN'S BIBLE
JANICE EMMERSON
7 GOD GAVE US YOU
LISA TAWN BERGREN
8 MOSTLY WHAT GOD DOES IS LOVE YOU
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE
9 THE BIGGEST STORY BIBLE STORYBOOK
KEVIN DEYOUNG
10 WHEREVER YOU GO, I WANT YOU TO KNOW...
MELISSA B. KRUGER
View All
1 THE HARBINGER: A GRAPHIC NOVEL
JONATHAN CAHN
2 SINGLE, DATING, ENGAGED, MARRIED
BEN STUART
3 LIVE ON PURPOSE
SADIE ROBERTSON HUFF WITH BETH CLARK AND TAMA FORTNER
4 THE 5-MINUTE BIBLE STUDY FOR TEEN GIRLS
CAREY SCOTT
5 DO HARD THINGS
ALEX HARRIS AND BRETT HARRIS
6 GOD IS WITH YOU EVERY DAY
MAX LUCADO
7 THE CASE FOR CHRIST STUDENT EDITION
LEE STROBEL WITH JANE VOGEL
8 FLOURISH
COMPILED BY BARBOUR STAFF
9 OUTDATED
JONATHAN POKLUDA AND KEVIN MCCONAGHY
10 INTERCESSORY PRAYER
DUTCH SHEETS
View All
1 THE GOSPEL STORY
MARY WILEY
2 ONE-MINUTE INSIGHTS FOR MEN
JIM GEORGE
3 365 READ-ALOUD BEDTIME BIBLE STORIES
DANIEL PARTNER
4 KNOW YOUR BIBLE
PAUL KENT
5 ONE-MINUTE INSPIRATIONS FOR WOMEN
ELIZABETH GEORGE
6 3-MINUTE DEVOTIONS FOR MEN
COMPILED BY BARBOUR STAFF
7 BIBLE PROMISE BOOK - KJV
BARBOUR PUBLISHING
8 199 PROMISES OF GOD
PUBLISHING, BARBOUR
9 77 MEMORY VERSES EVERY KID SHOULD KNOW
CHRISTIAN ART KIDS
10 BIBLE PROMISES FOR MOMS
HEIDI ST JOHN
View All
1 KJV GIANT PRINT FULL SIZE BIBLE
CHRISTIAN ART PUBLISHERS
2 ESV CHURCH BIBLE
CROSSWAY
3 NIV ADVENTURE BIBLE, Hardcover
ZONDERVAN
4 KJV LARGE PRINT PERSONAL SIZE REFERENCE BIBLE
HOLMAN BIBLE PUBLISHERS
5 CSB SHE READS TRUTH BIBLE, GREY
RAECHEL MYERS AND AMANDA BIBLE WILLIAMS
6 NIV THE WOMAN'S STUDY BIBLE
THOMAS NELSON
7 NKJV PERSONAL SIZE LARGE PRINT REFERENCE BIBLE
THOMAS NELSON
8 ESV STUDY BIBLE
J. I. PACKER, MARK DEVER AND JOHN PIPER
9 NLT LARGE PRINT PREMIUM VALUE THINLINE BIBLE, Brown
TYNDALE
10 ESV JOURNALING BIBLE
CROSSWAY BIBLES
View All
1 ESV ECONOMY BIBLE
CROSSWAY
2 ESV ECONOMY HOLY BIBLE FOR KIDS
CROSSWAY
3 NIV LARGER PRINT HOLY BIBLE, ECONOMY EDITION
ZONDERVAN
4 ESV LARGE PRINT ECONOMY BIBLE
CROSSWAY
5 NLT LARGE PRINT HOLY BIBLE ECONOMY OUTREACH EDITION
TYNDALE
6 KJV GIFT & AWARD BIBLE
THOMAS NELSON
7 NIV ECONOMY BIBLE
ZONDERVAN
8 NIV GIFT & AWARD BIBLE, Pink
ZONDERVAN
9 NIV OUTREACH BIBLE STUDENT EDITION
ZONDERVAN
10 NLT ECONOMY TEXT BIBLE
TYNDALE
View All
1 English Standard Version
2 New International Version
3 King James Version
4 New Living Translation
5 New King James Version
6 Christian Standard Bible
7 Reina Valera
8 New International Reader's Version
9 Nueva Version International
10 New American Standard Bible
View All
1 LOS 5 LENGUAJES DEL AMOR EDICION REVISADA
GARY CHAPMAN
2 PERDONA LO QUE NO PUEDES OLVIDAR
LYSA TERKEURST
3 UN ANO CON DIOS
B&H ESPANOL EDITORIAL
4 UNA VIDA CON PROPOSITO
RICK WARREN
5 UNA MUJER SABIA
WENDY BELLO
6 EL PODER DE LA MUJER QUE ORA
STORMIE OMARTIAN
7 JESUS TE LLAMA
SARAH YOUNG
8 EL DESAFIO DE 30 DIAS DE ORACION PARA HOMBRES
JESS MACCALLUM
9 DESTINADO AL EXITO
DANTE GEBEL
10 VIVIENDO SU VOLUNTAD
SEBASTIAN FRANZ
View All
1 RVR1960 BIBLIA PARA REGALOS Y PREMIOS, Negro
B&H ESPANOL EDITORIAL
2 RVR1960 BIBLIA PARA REGALOS Y PREMIOS, Negro tapa dura
B&H ESPANOL EDITORIAL
3 RVR1960 BIBLIA LETRA GRANDE TAMANO MANUAL EDICION TIERRA SANTA
B&H ESPANOL EDITORIAL
4 RVR1960 BIBLIA DEL PESCADOR LETRA GRANDE, Caoba
LUIS ANGEL DIAZ-PABON
5 RVR1960 BIBLIA PARA REGALOS Y PREMIOS, Rosa
B&H ESPANOL EDITORIAL
6 RVR1960 BIBLIA PARA REGALOS Y PREMIOS, Turquesa
B&H ESPANOL EDITORIAL
7 RVR1960 SANTA BIBLIA EDICION PORTATIL CON CREMALLERA
RVR 1960- REINA VALERA 1960
8 RVR60 SANTA BIBLIA LETRA SUPERGIGANTE CON CIERRE
RVR 1960- REINA VALERA 1960
9 RVR1960 BIBLIA DE APUNTES
B&H ESPANOL EDITORIAL
10 RVR1960 BIBLIA LETRA GRANDE TAMANO MANUAL CON INDICE
B&H ESPANOL EDITORIAL
View All
1 LA GRAN HISTORIA DEL EVANGELIO
B&H ESPANOL EDITORIAL
2 PREOCUPATE MENOS Y ORA MAS
DONNA K. MALTESE
3 365 HISTORIAS BIBLICAS PARA LA HORA DE DORMIR
COMPILED BY BARBOUR STAFF
4 EL SECRETO DE LA PAZ PERSONAL
BILLY GRAHAM
5 DEVOCIONALES DE 3 MINUTOS PARA HOMBRES
COMPILED BY BARBOUR STAFF
6 UN HOMBRE CONFORME AL CORAZON DE DIOS
JIM GEORGE
7 JESUS SALVA AL MUNDO
VIDA
8 DEMASIADO BENDECIDA PARA ESTAR ESTRESADA
DEBORA M. COTY
9 ESTRESATE MENOS, ORA MAS
DONNA K. MALTESE
10 3:16 EVANGELIO DE JUAN
MAX LUCADO
View All

Upcoming Events

ECPA webinar: Communicating Appreciation in the Workplace
August 8 | 10 am central
ECPA Asia Rights & Export Fair
September 1-2, 2025 | Bangkok, Thailand
ECPA C-Suite Symposium
September 7-9, 2025 | Tucson, Arizona
ECPA PubU Online
Oct 31 through Nov 14, 2025
ECPA LOGO
submit icon

Submit a News Item

Submit industry related news releases to rushtopress @ecpa .org for consideration. Rush to Press is sent every Monday and eligible releases must be received by end of day Friday prior to the Monday’s publication.

announce icon

Career Posts

To announce a job opening in Rush to Press, post it first at the ECPA Career Center and your announcement will appear in the next issue.

subscribe icon

Subscribe

To receive Rush to Press, along with other industry updates from ECPA, please follow the instructions here to create or modify your ECPA community profile. To subscribe to Rush to Press without using a profile, subscribe here.

unsubscribe icon

Unsubscribe

If you would like to be removed from the Rush to Press distribution list, please edit your ECPA profile preferences or email info @ecpa .org.

advertise icon

Advertise

If you would like to reach over 3,300 industry subscribers and media contacts each week, consider advertising in Rush to Press. Contact sponsorship @ecpa .org for more information.

More news at RushtoPress.org. #RushtoPress @ECPA
This is a publication of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. For more information about ECPA, contact info@ecpa.org or visit ECPA.org.
Copyright © 2025 · ECPA