September 23, 2019 Edition

ECPA announces the 2019 finalists for The Christy Award®

Last week, ECPA announced 30 finalists in nine categories for the 2019 The Christy Award® program.  There were three ties.  The Christy Award® exists to celebrate excellence in the art of Christian Fiction and to honor the power of faith in story.

Winners will be announced at The Christy Award Gala, to be held the evening of Wednesday, November 6th in the new George Shinn Event Center at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.  The event will feature bestselling authors PATTI CALLAHAN (Becoming Mrs. Lewis), BECKY WADE (True to You, Falling for You), and JAMES RUBART (The Man He Never Was) — and will include a special tribute to the legacy of JANETTE OKE, pioneer of inspirational fiction, in the 40th anniversary year of her seminal classic Love Comes Softly.  Preceding the Gala will be an afternoon of writing workshops featuring LYSA TERKEURST, JAMES RUBART, ANNE BOGEL, and more.

Tickets are now on sale for both events at the “Register” link on ChristyAwards.com.

Read More…
View the Finalists

Last call for submissions: Final week for Christian Book Award® submissions in 12 categories

Give the titles you worked hard to launch this past year the recognition they deserve by entering them into the 2020 Christian Book Award program. Nominations in 12 categories can be submitted until a week from today, Monday, September 30 for books published between October 2018 and October 2019.  Submitting categories are:  Audio; Bibles; Bible Reference works; Bible Study; Ministry Resources; Biography & Memoir; Christian Living; Faith & Culture; Devotion & Gift; Children (ages 0-8); Young People’s Literature (ages 9-16 non-fiction); and New Author.

More at ChristianBookAwards.com

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Christianity Today is featuring the 2019 Christian Book Award® winners in a digital ad campaign across their lists and in an upcoming full page ad in November’s issue of Christianity Today magazine.

ECPA welcomes new members

ECPA is pleased to welcome the following organizations as new members:

• Independent Publishers Group (IPG) is a leading provider of expert print and digital distribution services for innovative publishers.
• McClure Muntsinger Public Relations (MMPR) is a full-service book publicity agency, specializing in the strategic promotion of Christian and inspirational titles.
• Mountain Brook Ink is a publisher of high-quality inspirational fiction that focuses on restoration and renewal.
• One Audio is a full-service, audiobook partner for book publishers who want topnotch quality audio productions.
• Target Reader Analytics™ enables publishers and authors to make confident decisions about book titles and covers through data informed insights.
• Linda K. Taylor joins ECPA as an individual affiliate. She is an Assistant Professor at Taylor University running the Professional Writing degree program.

Ingram hosts Christian Publisher Day, the day after PubU in Nashville

Ingram will host an event for publishers on November 7th at their facilities in La Vergne, Tennessee, following ECPA PubU in Nashville.  This exclusive event for Christian publishers will include a tour of Ingram’s production facility.

More information…

Connect in-person over industry's "hot topics" at PubU, Nov. 5-6 in Nashville

PubU will gather publishing professionals for training, connection, and inspiration around the “hottest” topics in the industry today — all within the specific context of Christian publishing.  Attendees can customize their training by choosing among more than 40 sessions led by industry experts offered in six publishing tracks. In addition, PubU will feature plenary sessions with NYT bestselling author and Proverbs 31 ministries president Lysa TerKeurst and Rabbit Room founder and award-winning creative Andrew Peterson. Here are just a few of the “hot topic” sessions offered ONLY at PubU – where you can learn, discuss, and connect in-person with your industry colleagues:

DIVERSITY

• Engaging your Content with Minorities in the United States
• Loving God, Our Neighbor, and Ourselves through Diverse Books
• A New Paradigm for Publishing Christian Authors of Color
• Publishing in Color: Why and How

AUDIO & PODCASTS & VOICE

• The Best and Worst Ways to Promote your Book on a Podcast
• Creating and Integrating Great Audio Content into your Plans
• Audiobook Production Trends
• Adding Podcasting as the Missing Piece to Your Marketing
• Implementing Voice-First Technology in Production

READERS & COMMUNITY

• Reaching the Heart of Your Readers
• Lessons from Building and Engaging a Community
• A Reader-Centric Mindset to Grow your Book Audience
• Drive Sales and Reach New Readers with BookBub
• Goodreads and the Future of Reader Engagement

MEDIA

• Master Your Media Messaging
• How to Build a Better Marketing Website
• Keeping Up with Social Media’s Ever-Evolving Platforms
• SEO in 2020: What’s Changing and What Never Gets Old
• Ideas, Tips, and Techniques for Promoting Backlist

CREATIVITY & DESIGN

• Our Call to Creativity as Christian Publishers
• Lessons on Leveraging Creativity in Words and Storytelling
• Design Thinking & Content Creation
• Designing for Digital Sales
• Best Practices for Acquiring Images, Design, and Fonts
• Creating Design Dialogue
• Capturing Light with Micah Kandros
• A Dialogue with artist Wayne Brezinka

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Check out the speakers and sessions offered in tracks for Editorial, Emerging Leaders, Digital Marketing, Reader Engagement & Publicity, Design, and Data, Delivery & Workflow!  Registration and full program available at ECPAPubU.org.

Bible Gateway interviews authors Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker

How do we invite God into our practical living? How should we incorporate spiritual disciplines into the ordinary rhythms of everyday experience? How can we be transformed into Christ’s likeness through our jobs and daily work? Bible Gateway interviewed Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker (@shannonvande), authors of Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work (Hendrickson Publishers, 2019).

Read this interview.

Bible Gateway interviews Sue Richards about the “Adventure Bible”

The top children’s Bible in the world is the Adventure Bible (Zonderkidz), published more than 30 years ago and now having more than 9 million copies in print. What makes it so popular? Why have parents, grandparents, and children all been drawn to it throughout the decades? Bible Gateway interviewed Sue Richards.

Read this interview.

Author and pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church joins Jesus Calling podcast

Pastor Morris recently joined the Jesus Calling podcast to share about the winding road to his becoming pastor and starting Gateway Church in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, which has grown to more than 71,000 active attendees. Morris encourages Christians to be good stewards who give abundantly as he writes about in his latest book, Beyond Blessed: God’s Perfect Plan to Overcome All Financial Stress (FaithWords/Hachette).