May 5, 2025 Edition
Industry News
IVP remembers Samuel Escobar
Samuel Escobar, a renowned Latin American theologian and missiologist, died on April 29 at the age of 90. Escobar served with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in Latin America for 26 years, and for three years as general director of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Canada.
Read More...
Registration opens for ECPA C-Suite Symposium
Early bird registration has just opened for ECPA’s annual C-Suite Symposium held for the industry’s C-level executives on September 7-9 at the El Conquistador Resort in Tucson, Arizona. Early bird rates are in effect until July 25. Program and registration is at ECPACsuite.org.
ECPA names the 2025 Christian Book Award® winners in 12 categories
ECPA announced the 13 winners of the 2025 Christian Book Award program last week in Nashville, naming the 2025 Christian Book of the Year® as “Practicing the Way” by bestselling author John Mark Comer (WaterBrook).
NetGalley and Rakuten Kobo launch new technology partnership
NetGalley and Rakuten Kobo have announced their new technology partnership for the collaborative development of an integrated Kobo reading option connected to the NetGalley platform.
Read More...
ECPA welcomes new industry affiliate, Echo Point Books & Media
ECPA has just welcomed Echo Point Books & Media as an industry affiliate. An online bookseller based in Vermont, they partner with publishers to retail hurt, overstock, and remaindered books.
Milestones
Kay Arthur receives Pinnacle Award from ECPA
Renowned Bible teacher and prolific author Kay Arthur was honored with the ECPA Pinnacle Award to recognize Arthur’s outstanding contributions to Christian publishing, the church, and society at large over a period of more than five decades of ministry.
Read More...
Zondervan’s “Ghosted” wins Christian Book Award in Biography and Memoir
Zondervan Books celebrates a Christian Book Award for “Ghosted: An American Story” by Nancy French in Biography and Memoir. French shares her tumultuous journey from her family's mountain roots, to successful ghostwriter who was eventually rejected by her party, church and community.
Read More...
Tyndale House Publishers wins Christian Book Award for “How to Tell the Truth”
Tyndale House Publishers announces their Christian Book Award in the New Author category for Preston Perry’s “How to Tell the Truth,” a hope-filled apologetics book featuring Preston’s own story to show us how urgent our task is—and how powerful our God is.
Read More...
“Waiting Isn’t a Waste” by Mark Vroegop wins Christian Book Award
Crossway is pleased to announce that Mark Vroegop’s “Waiting isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life” has won the Christian Book Award in Christian Living.
Read More...
Two Lifeway releases win Christian Book Awards in Bibles and Bible Study
“Luke in the Land” (Bible Study) and the “CSB Oswald Chambers Bible” (Bibles) received Christian Book Awards in their respective categories during the ECPA Awards Celebration on April 29 in Nashville.
Read More...
Kregel Academic title wins 2025 Christian Book Award
The Kregel Academic title “40 Questions About Pentecostalism,” written by Jonathan Black and edited by series editor Benjamin L Merkle, received the Christian Book Award in the Bible Reference Works category.
Read More...
SPCK receives two publishing awards at IPA
The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) has won both Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year and the Virtusales Metadata Award (alongside Usborne Publishing) at the Independent Publishing Awards 2025.
Read More...
Product News
WaterBrook signs Jen Pollock Michel
Jen Pollock Michel, award-winning author and spiritual formation teacher, brings her expertise on developing a personal rule of life to WaterBrook with “A Rule for the Rest of Us: An Ancient Practice for Clarity and Courage, Commitment, and the Art of Care,” scheduled for publication in Spring 2026.
Read More...
FaithWords releases “The Courage to Change” by Joyce Meyer this week
Beloved Bible teacher and #1 New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer wants us to know that we can stand firm on the promise of God’s Word in her new book “The Courage to Change” (FaithWords, May 6, 2025).
Read More...
Zonderkidz announces release of “Jesus, Our True Friend” on October 7
Zonderkidz, in collaboration with the bestselling, critically-acclaimed duo, Sally Lloyd-Jones and Jago (“The Jesus Storybook Bible”), is thrilled to announce the release of “Jesus, Our True Friend,” a beautifully-illustrated picture book with seven brand-new stories.
Read More...
Lexham Press redesigns and expands popular Spurgeon Commentary Series
Lexham Press is delighted to announce new volumes in the Spurgeon Commentary series as well as brand-new covers for the entire series. In February 2026, the new volumes will be released in print.
Read More...
Other News
INDUSTRY
- Bible publishers begin creating dyslexia-friendly editions
- Christian children’s books defying declining book sales in Philippines
- The Upper Room celebrates 90 years
- Magazine Training Institute webinar on May 8: 5 crisis management principles
- Supadu: Christian Publishing Report on Improving Your Discoverability
- Barna Report: GenZ and Mental Health – A Faith Based Response
PUBLISHING
- Amazon: Q1 Sales Up; North American Sales Gain Lowest Ever
- Books and Consumer Survey 2024: Recording 1 million book purchases
- BISG webinar on May 6: EUDR in Practice
- PRH Inks License Agreements with Disney
- New Simon & Schuster award for unpublished authors of colour
- S&S Inks Joint Venture with Urano World Publishing
- Publishers Association Report: Boosting children's reading for pleasure
- Paris' Festival du Livre Reports 114,000 Attendees: 43% under 25
- Abu Dhabi International Book Fair Draws 96 Countries
