Baker Publishing Group has recently racked up a number of awards and honors from different organizations. First Corinthians (Baker Academic) was awarded 1st place in the Scripture category of the 2013 Catholic Press Awards. Baptismal Imagery in Early Christianity was awarded 2nd place in the Liturgy category. The Evolution of Adam (Brazos Press) won gold in the Religion category of the 2012 ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards. Handbook of Women Biblical Interpreters (Baker Academic) took silver in Reference. The Space Between (Baker Academic) took bronze award in Architecture category. Bethany House author Elizabeth Camden was declared the winner of the 2013 RITA Award in the Inspirational Romance category for Against the Tide by the Romance Writers of America (RWA). And Baker was named Vendor of the Year by the Association of Logos Bookstores.
Barbour Publishing also was recognized by the RWA chapter Faith, Hope & Inspirational in its Reader’s Choice Awards contest. Trinity came in 1st in the Romantic Suspense category; Veil of Pearls came in 3rd in Long Historical; and A Mother’s Cry came in 3rd in Novellas.
Kregel Publications received four ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards. Mortal Fire (Monarch) was named gold Book of the Year in Romance; Resurrect (Monarch) took gold in War & Military; and The Sound of Red Returning won bronze in Religious fiction. In adult nonfiction, Messy earned silver in the Religion category.
Ignatius Press will release Pope Francis’ first encyclical, The Light of Faith (Lumen Fidei), next month, in advance of the Roman Catholic fall celebrations of the Year of Faith. According to Ignatius, “Francis draws on key themes of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who wrote encyclicals on charity and hope. He intended to complete the set with a reflection on faith, which would also have underscored the Year of Faith that he launched. Benedict’s history-making retirement meant he was unable to finish his encyclical. Francis took up the task, adding his own insights, themes and emphases to the work begun by Benedict XVI.”
ChristianTrade Association International, which spun off from the Association of Christian Retailers (CBA) in 2005, shut down June 30, and its international initiatives are being folded back into CBA. The Korean Christian Rights Fair in Seoul, South Korea (Aug. 22-23) will go on as planned, as will other local chapter programs and initiatives. CBA is giving ChristianTrade’s members options to continue existing memberships and benefits without charge. ChristianTrade has members in 148 countries, and reports national member associations in 18 nations. Those association chapters will continue to operate. The association has assisted with CBA’s annual International Marketsquare during the International Christian Retail Show.
Barbour author Wanda E. Brunstetter, who has written more than 70 novels and non-fiction books about the Amish, is heading a quilt drive to benefit Oaklawn, a facility in Goshen, Ind.,that provides mental health services to the Amish community. Quilters can submit a 6-inch block through August 31. Squares will be stitched together and the quilts(s) will be auctioned, with all proceeds going Oaklawn. The first 250 quilters to submit a quilt square will receive a copy of Brunstetter’s newest, The Tattered Quilt (Aug.). Submit a block to Nancy Berland Public Relations, 2816 NW 57th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73112. For questions, please call 1-800-308-3169 or email Stephanie@NancyBerland.com. Submissions may be photographed and used in social media and other promotions.
Crossway and The Gospel Coalition (TGC) are expanding their publishing partnership. Crossway will continue to publish TGC conference volumes, and will also partner with the organization to develop a series of books for women on cultural issues, and “other unique resources focused on faith and work” according to Crossway. Since 2009, Crossway and The Gospel Coalition have produced 18 publications, including Don’t Call It a Comeback; The Scriptures Testify about Me; and The Gospel as Center. TGC editorial director Collin Hansen will oversee the program.
